Of Kunais and PETs: A RockmanEXENaruto Crossover
by MP5
Summary: Full Summary inside. Three Akihara Netbattlers win a sponsored Summerlong trip to Konoha. What awaits them? NettoMeiru, InoOC, NaruHina, SasuSaku AU fic DISCONTINUED
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I don't own Rockman.EXE, nor do I own Naruto, which belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.

Summary: Netto, Meiru, and Jake (My OC) were the lucky winners of a school-wide contest at Akihara Junior High/ Akihara High School at the end of their Eighth grade year. They won an all-expenses-paid trip to Konoha, where they will get to actually become ranked ninja, and whose tourism board is paying for their expenses. The catch is that they have to do a presentation on their trip at the beginning of their 9th grade year. What sort of adventures await them?

Prologue: Welcome to Konoha! Part 1

It was the day before Netto, Meiru, and Jake were scheduled to fly to Konoha Village. We currently find them packing their belongings.

Netto: Man, I'm so STOKED! We're going to a real ninja village!

Meiru: Calm down, Netto-kun! We haven't even left yet!

Netto: Gomen, Meiru-chan, but I am so freaking excited!

Netto then saw Jake carrying more than one case.

Netto: Jake, what's in all those cases?

Jake: Airsoft guns, Netto-kun. I'm taking my hobby with me, albeit on a lesser scale. All I'm packing is my Tokyo Marui MP5K PDW and G36C, my WE HI-CAPA, gas, batteries, charger, BB's, tools, and accessories. As long as I keep it in the cargo hold for the flight, I'm good to go! and yes, they do allow airsoft in Konoha.

Netto: Fine, suit yourself! I do wonder, though. Do they netbattle in Konoha?

Rockman: We'll just have to see, Netto-kun!

Meanwhile, in Konoha...

Hokage: Hatake Kakashi...

Kakashi: Yes, sir?

Hokage: Our guests will be arriving tomorrow on one of our new ANBU Black Hawk helicopters. You and Team 7 are responsible for their security and well-being while they stay for the summer and go through the academy, and then on missions with your team.

Kakashi: This is rather unusual, sir. After all, Genin teams are usually teams of four.

Hokage: I am aware of this. Thus, I will eventually have Iruka join you so that your 7-person team will split up when necessary. Anyway, do you accept?

Kakashi: Yes, sir.

Hokage: Wonderful. You will be meeting them at around 7:00 tomorrow. Please be punctual.

The next day, aboard the Helicopter to Konoha...

Netto: Hot damn, we're almost there, and I'm arriving in a Black Hawk! The awesomeness just keeps on coming!

Soon, the helicopter finally landed, and the three students got off the helicopter, Jake hanging on to his gun cases. Kakashi walked up and greeted them.

Kakashi: Konnichiwa! I'm Hatake Kakashi, and me and my team will be your guides for your summer here in our neck of the woods!

Netto, Meiru, and Jake: Konnichiwa, Kakashi-san!

Kakashi: Now if you'll follow me, we'll get you set up in your living quarters.

At the Exit of the Konoha Heliport, Kakashi stopped their group for a bit to rest and introduce themselves. Suddenly, Jake saw a glint of something steel fly at him, and he deflected a Kunai into a nearby tree. Meiru yelped and pulled Netto close.

Kakashi: WTF was that?

Jake: A kunai. And I know where it came from...

Jake then pressed a button on one of his gun cases. The rest of the case came off to reveal his MP5K airsoft gun attached to the handle.

Jake: Get down.

Jake fires on full auto at the source of the kunai. After a long burst, he hears something yell in pain.

Voice: OW! CHRIST, THAT HURT!

Then, an orange-clad figure dropped from the tree to the ground, writhing in pain. It was none other than Naruto Uzumaki. the group then walked up to him.

Kakashi: Naruto! You are in so much trouble right now...

Naruto: Kakashi-sensei? Oh, boy...

To be continued...

Please review!


	2. 1: Welcome to Konoha! Part 2

Disclaimer: Still don't own Rockman or Naruto.

Chapter 1: Welcome to Konoha! Part 2

After a stern talking to by Kakashi, Naruto apologized to the three netbattlers.

Naruto: Sorry, guys. I got a tad carried away. Oh, and Jake-kun, sorry for throwing that knife at you.

Jake: "Kun" wa iranai, Naruto-san. And I'm sorry for shooting back. That was pretty uncalled for.

Naruto: Nah, I had it coming. Well, we better go. You guys still have to meet the rest of our team.

And so, Kakashi, Naruto, Netto, Meiru, and Jake went to Team 7's cabin, located in the housing area behind the Ninja Academy. (A/N: look, I don't know a whole lot about Naruto, so cut me some slack.) When they arrived, they were greeted by Sakura and Sasuke. However, Sasuke saw the gun cases in Jake's hands. Sasuke pulled out his Kunai from its holster, but he had just pulled it clear , and the next thing he knew, it was poking the skin over his spine, and Jake's handgun was to his head.

Sasuke: Kuso! He's fast!

Kakashi: Whoa, easy there, Jake! Jeez, it's as if you guys are both born with hair trigger reflexes! You sure you're not related in any way?

Jake: Gomen, Sasuke-san. I realize one can't be too careful these days.

Sasuke: It's ok, Jake. Say, can you teach me to do that sometime? I had no idea someone could move that quick! I blinked, boom! My Kunai was at my spinal cord!

Jake: Maybe I will, Sasuke.

Kakashi: Anyway, I intended to introduce you to the rest of Team 7. Meiru, Netto, Jake, this is Sakura and Sasuke, the other two Genin of Team 7.

Meiru: We're pleased to meet you guys!

Sakura: Feeling's mutual!

Netto: Ok, I gotta ask, 'cause it's been bugging me for a while now. Do you guys have NetNavi Technology?

Kakashi: Yup. Ever since we began modernizing, we now have Net City access, with regular updates from Sci-labs.

Netto: How about Net battling?

Kakashi: Yes, but we seldom practice that due to the missions we have to go on.

Just then, Kakashi's Radio received an alarming announcement.

Radio: All ANBU, please respond! The village is under attack!

Kakashi: Ok, you guys stay here and lock the place down. I'm gonna go and see what's going on. Hey, where's Jake?

Everyone looked to see an opened gun case in the spot where Jake was standing.

Kakashi: Aw, S#.

Meanwhile, Jake was dashing at great speed as he readied his MP5 and HI-CAPA Gas Pistol.

Jake: Silencers set, Hi-cap mags in, time to activate my FPS Over Charger!

Jake then flipped a covered toggle switch on his MP5 and turned a knob on the hi-cap mag on his pistol. The FPS Over Charger system he created for himself allowed his Airsoft guns to become weapons that could hold off an attacker, and if used correctly, could incapacitate or even kill. Considering he had loaded his guns with .2 gram titanium BB's, he was definitely out for blood. As Jake crouched on a rooftop, he pulled out his binoculars to see what was going on.

Jake: Hmm... Looks like we have some 'Tactical' Jounin from the Stone village trying to raise some hell. I'll put a stop to that. Commencing Operation Rock Grinder... now.

Meanwhile, the attackers from the Stone village were trying to keep a low profile.

Anonymous Jounin : Hey, what's this red dot on my face?

SPLAT

The Chunnin went down with a minuscule dot on his face. However, the minuscule dot turned into a fountain of blood. At once, the attackers ran into the village with weapons at the ready.

Jake: You will all go no further.

Attacker: There he is! Get him!

Jake then managed to dodge the barrage of Kunais thrown at him. As soon as he landed on the ground, he grabbed one of the attackers and used him as a human shield. Then, Jake leapt into the air and gunned down the attackers with both his pistol and MP5. Later, when Kakashi and the rest of the ANBU appeared, Kakashi and the others were awestruck to see Jake sitting in the middle of the dead bodies, calmly sipping a soda as if nothing happened. All the ANBU members simply stood there with their mouths wide open, and Kakashi's mask dropped down to reveal his gaping mouth.

Kakashi: Jake? Did you do this?

Jake: Yes.

Kakashi: And you're not hurt?

Jake: Mm-hmm.

Kakashi: And these guys are...

Jake: Yup. They're all dead.

Kakashi: Impossible! How'd you do it?

Jake: I made a bolt-on system for my Airsoft guns that increases the velocity of the BB's to fatal rates.

Kakashi: Well, I better tell the Hokage about this.

To Be Continued

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And so truly begins the story! Please tell me what you think!

Next Chapter: Graduation and Team assignments part 1


	3. Chapter 2: G&TA Part 1

Disclaimer: Don't own anything but the plot and OC.

Chapter 2: Graduation and team assignments part 1

It had been a week since the jounin from the stone village attacking Konoha were repelled by Jake. In that span of time, Jake, Netto, and Meiru had attended the Konoha Ninja Academy's "Accelerated Education Program", or as it was more informally known, 'Ninja Cram School'. Today was the day the three netbattlers, along with students from other areas of Japan as well as the world were to take their graduation test, which was to successfully perform the Henge no Jutsu, or Transformation Technique. The three netbattlers got the feel of it quickly, despite Netto having some difficulty. Now, it was 5:30 in the morning, when much of Konoha was just waking up. In the training grounds near the academy, the sound of rapid footsteps, a whirring motor, and the hissing of gas could be heard. Jake was making a time attack on his newly-made obstacle course, which included tripwires that triggered hand grenade traps, barbed wire, and ziplines to cross large gaps. Jake had just leapt over a tripwire, and continued shooting his guns at steel pop-up targets, each going down with every BB he fired. He then hopped on a zipline that took him to the last part of his obstacle course, which was a 2-floor shooting house, similar to the ones used to practice hostage rescue. As he crashed through a window, two targets popped up in the doorways in the corridor, and Jake, now down to his pistol, put two rounds in the head area of each target. He then ran towards a door, tossed in a stun grenade, and when it detonated, rushed in and popped every target in the room. He then rushed to where a dummy playing the role of a hostage was, and pressed a button on the dummy's back. A bell suddenly rang, and Jake checked a timer on the wall.

Jake: 10 minutes. A new record.

Jake then flopped down onto his back, winded from all the running he did. then, the sound of some voices on the first floor hit his ears. One in particular caught his attention.

Naruto: OI, JAKE! ARE YOU UP THERE?

Jake realized Naruto and the others must be here, looking for him.

Jake: Up here!

Jake got to his feet when Naruto and the others walked into the room.

Naruto: Hey Jake, I heard that after you, Netto, and Meiru complete your graduation exams, you'll be given your team assignments right after that. So, we all better get moving!

Jake: No Problem. Let me take care of our transportation.

Sasuke: Transportation?

Jake: Yup. Now follow me.

Jake went outside, and after telling the others to stand back, he bit his thumb, and with the blood, did some unique hand seals and slammed his hand on the ground, completeing his special summoning technique. After a large cloud of smoke disappeared, three two-seater go-karts that were 3/4ths the size of actual cars appeared, and each sported realistic bodies modeled after their real life counterparts, as well as engines also based on the real cars, complete with turbochargers, superchargers, 5 and 6-speed transmissions, and ever interior featuresm such as a radio with a 3-disc CD changer, A/C, and heating. While team 7 stood there in awe, the three netbattlers got in and motioned for the three genin to hop in the passenger's seat. Sasuke rode with Netto, Sakura with Meiru, and Naruto with Jake. after issuing a challenge, the three hit their gas pedals as they raced each other to the school. Sasuke simply watched the scenery go by, while Sakura and Naruto were having the time of their lives. As they reached the final turn leading to a suitable parking area for the karts, Jake pulled on his handbrake, downshifted, turned the wheel, and stomped the gas. As the car began to slide, Naruto held on to a handle as Jake countersteered, initiating a perfect opposite-lock drift. Naruto whooped and hollered as they crossed the finish line, an intersection leading to the school. The genin that were waiting for the graduating additions to their team watched the three cars with interest as their occupants got out.

Netto: So, Sasuke. How was that ride for you?

Sasuke: Interesting, to say the least.

Naruto: Jake, that was totally awesome! teach me to drive sometime, please?

Jake: Sure, I'll teach you. but now, Netto, Meiru, and I have to get to class.

Naruto: Ok! Good luck guys! Make a better impression on Iruka-sensei than I did!

To be continued

Next: Graduation and Team assignments part 2


	4. Chapter 3: G&TA Part 2

Chapter 3: Graduation and Team Assignments Part 2

Netto, Meiru, and Jake walked into the classroom where Iruka-sensei was to give them their final exam. 9 other students were there from other countries, including Sharo, Ameroupe, and surprisingly, Yumland. Some of them won the same contest as the three netbattlers in their country, whereas others were sent on a diplomatic basis. Jake went over to one of the students, because he found out his old friend from his days in Ameroupe, Chopper Lee, was here. Chopper Lee was also known as "The Axe" by Jake because of the fact that he always carried a hatchet that doubled as a weapon on his way home from his job at a lumber yard. Many a gang member stayed away from him after they saw one of their own get beat and cut to within an inch of his life by 'The Axe'. With Jake's help, they cleaned up their neighborhood by force, but for good reason, and soon, buisnesses felt much safer in the area that was once a ghetto overrun by heartless gang members who would think nothing of shooting a 1st grader just because he/she looked at them funny.

Jake: Yo, Axe man! What's up?

Chopper Lee: Hey, Jake! Nothing much. You ready for the exam today?

Jake: Of course I am. You, me, and my other friends are gonna ace this easily!

Chopper: Best of luck to them, too!

Jake then went to the bathroom. As he finished washing his hands, he grabbed his head and moaned in pain.

Jake: Aaargh! Again? Why are you doing this to me? What do you want?

Then a voice whose source couldn't be seen spoke to him.

Voice: This is just to remind you, kid. Become a ninja and try to get the more dangerous missions as soon as you can. I got a quota to fill. Remember your purpose, because if you weren't tasked with it, your body would be nothing but a skeleton six feet under right now.

Jake: I know, I know. And I haven't forgotten that you're really the only thing keeping me alive.

Voice: Well, well! Looks like I didn't have to remind you this time!

Jake: Yeah. The last time you did that, it hurt like a Bitch.

Voice: Just keeping you on your toes, kid. Good luck with the exams.

Jake then returned to the classroom where the exam was just beginning.

Iruka: First up, Chopper Lee.

Chopper then went to the front of the classroom and transformed flawlessly into Iruka. Iruka passed Chopper and gave him his forehead protector.

Iruka: Remember, you can transform into people, objects, or animals. Next up, Hikari, Netto.

Netto then went to the front of the classroom and transformed, oddly-yet-unsurprisingly, into a bowl of curry, complete with spoon. Iruka and the class had a good laugh about that, and then Iruka passed Netto, giving him points for creativity. Netto, upon recieving his Forehead Protector, tied his bandanna around his arm, to display his family symbol.

Iruka: Next, Harrelson, Jacob.

Jake then went to the front and transformed into Iruka, but this version of Iruka had an SAS Hostage rescue outfit, including the black hoodie, MP5 Submachine gun, body armor, and combat boots. Everyone 'ooh'ed and 'ahh'ed, and Iruka passed Jake, taking down the details of the outfit before doing so. The rest of the exam went on smoothly, with all 12 students in the Accelerated Eduaction Program passing and becoming Genin. Iruka let them know that they were to report back to the room in the afternoon for their team assignments. However, until then, they were free to do what they pleased. Jake, Netto and Meiru went outside and met Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura in the parking lot.

Jake: Well, we did it. We're finally Genin.

Sakura: Congratulations, you guys! We need to celebrate!

Naruto: I know! Let's go to Ichiraku Ramen Bar!

Jake: I've been there already, Naruto. Their Ramen is good, but I feel like having something along the lines of burgers and fries. I heard that Bennigan's Irish Grill and Tavern recently opened up a branch here in Konoha. Let's go there.

Sakura: Sasuke-kun, are you ok with that?

Sasuke: I don't really care, as long as it's someplace other than the _Dobe_'s usual hangout.

Naruto: Hey! I resent that! Ramen is one of the best foods in the world! No foreign burger joint can top Ichiraku Ramen!

Jake: We're not going to any old 'foreign burger joint' though, are we? We're going to a place where they don't fry up the burgers, but actually cook them on a grill until it's just the way you want. Now let's go!

Naruto: Well, that shut me up.

At Bennigan's, the six were seated at a corner table, where they ordered what they were going to eat.

Naruto: I seriously doubt any of these will satisfy my crazy appetite.

Jake: Try the 'Big Irish' burger.It's a monstrosity of a burger so huge, that they have stab a steak knife through it to keep it from falling apart.

Everyone else at the table went "Whoa!" None of them, aside from Jake, had heard of a burger that huge.

Naruto: I'm going for it!

The others settled with smaller burgers or ribs, steak, and even pork chops, which Sasuke ordered. As they ate, Sasuke smirked on the inside. It had been a while since they had anything aside from onigiri and ramen.

Sasuke (Thinking): I'll go to this place a bit more often.

On the outside, Sasuke simply chewed on his food, paying attention to nothing in particular. when they were finally done, Naruto was seriously satisfied, having quelled both his and the nine-tailed fox's appetite.

Waitress: Here's your bill! We accept three forms of currency: U.S. Dollars, Yen, and Ryou.

The bill was surprisingly at $50 dollars, but Jake plunked down a wad of $10 Dollar bills worth $200 dollars. Everyone at the table looked at him in shock.

Jake: Keep the change and share the wealth.

Team 7 got up from their table, still shocked, and silent as they walked out of Bennigan's. Finally, Naruto spoke up.

Naruto: Where the hell did you get all that money?

Jake: I built up my money from way back when before I even met Netto and Meiru. I had done a lot of odd jobs from time to time...

Flashback

Mobster: Keep that bastard away from me! I paid you for a reason!

A mobster ran inside a warehouse as a squad of thugs armed with MAC-10 submachine guns opened fire on Jake, who was wearing sunglasses, a suit with a blue tie, and leather gloves. Jake jumped down from a catwalk, his silenced .40 caliber Smith and Wesson handgun kicking between his hands. Each shot he fired made for one less gun-wielding thug. Meanwhile, inside the warehouse, the mobster was catching his breath. He may have been athletic, but being chased for 10 and a half blocks by a teenage assassin that vanished from sight winded him. As he leaned back against a crate, he was suddenly choking for air as Jake came up behind him, strangling him with piano wire.

Mobster: You...Little...Bastard...Gurgle

Jake set the man's body down on the floor as he activated his PDA Cellphone and called a number.

A voice on the other end picked up.

: Hello?

Jake: Special Agent Morrison? Tell your subordinates to mark Thomas Marconi as deceased.

Agent Morrison: Can you provide evidence?

Jake: I just sent the photo.

Agent Morrison: Just got it. The FBI thanks you for killing Public Enemy Number 1, Mr. Harrelson. The $1 billion dollar reward is yours, and should be in your account when you get home. Get out of there. The police are coming.

Jake: Understood. Nice doing buisness with you.

End Flashback

Jake: Oh, look at the time. We've got about half an hour before we're supposed to get our assigned teams. I'm gonna go early, and if no one's there yet, I'll practice playing guitar.

Later, in the classroom, Jake was strumming away on his guitar. He looked up to the door and saw Ino and Sakura bickering over Sasuke as they came in through the door. Jake focused on Ino, and he stopped strumming. In his eyes, she seemed the perfect girl. Meanwhile, Ino then locked eyes with Jake. At that, she completely forgot about Sasuke and shut Sakura up long enough to ask the pink haired kunoichi a question.

Ino: Hey Sakura, Who's that cute boy you've been hanging out with? The one with the guitar?

Sakura: That's Jake. He just graduated with his friends from Ninja Cram School. Why do you ask?

Ino: You can have Sasuke-kun! I've got dibs on your friend there!

Ino walked over to Jake as calmly as she could, Jake trying to hide his blushing as she walked up to him. Ino still saw a hint of red on the side of his face.

Ino (Thinking): Awww, he's blushing! Advantage, mine!

Ino then started the conversation.

Ino: Hi there! I'm Ino Yamanaka. And who might you be?

Jake: I'm Jacob Harrelson. Pleased to make your acquaintance, Yamanaka-san.

Ino: No need for formalities, Harrelson-san. I noticed your guitar, by the way. Would you say you're good at it?

Jake: Call me Jake then, Ino-chan. I'm not really that good, and if I am, I try to be modest about it.

Ino: Well, um... Could you please play a song?

Jake: For one so beautiful as you, sure, why not?

Ino: Please! You're flattering me!

Jake then began playing Jet's 'Be My Girl', with the lyrics modified slightly to fit the situation.

Jake:Go!

musical interlude

So 1,2,3, take my hand and come with me

because you look so fine

and i really wanna make you mine.

I say you look so fine

that I really wanna make you mine.

Oh, 4,5,6 c'mon and get your kicks

now you dont need that money

when you look like that, do ya honey.

Tall blue boots,

long blonde hair,

she's so sweet

with her get back stare.

Well I could see,

you home with me,

but you were with another man, yeah!

I know we

ain't got much to say,

before I let you get away, yeah!

I said, are you gonna be my girl?

Well, so 1,2,3, take my hand and come with me

because you look so fine

and i really wanna make you mine.

I say you look so fine

that I really wanna make you mine.

Oh, 4,5,6 c'mon and get your kicks

now you dont need that money

with a face like that, do ya.

Tall blue boots,

long blonde hair,

she's so sweet

with her get back stare.

Well I could see,

you home with me,

but you were with another man, yeah!

I know we

ain't got, much to say,

before I let you get away, yeah!

I said, are you gonna be my girl?

Oh yeah. Oh yeah. C'mon!

I could see,

you home with me,

but you were with another man, yeah!

I know we

ain't got much to say,

before I let you get away, yeah!

Uh, be my girl.

Be my girl.

Are you gonna be my girl! Yeah!

Jake had poured his heart and soul into that song, and Ino knew it.

Ino: You're very good at this, Jake! I'm impressed! So, um, Maybe someday soon, if neither of us have any missions or training to do, we could go out for dinner sometime, maybe get to know each other better?

Jake: I'll take you up on that offer.

Then, Iruka came in, and everyone sat down for their team assignments. Jake, Netto, and Meiru all managed to end up with Team 7, Chopper Lee and two others (whose names will currently be withheld) ended up on Neji's team, and the rest were dispersed to Teams Asuma and Kurenai. Before everyone left, Iruka reminded the Ninja Cram School graduates that tomorrow was their survival test with their team leaders.

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Hope you all liked this chapter! Please review!

Next chapter: Kakashi's infamous bell test


	5. 4: Kakashi's Infamous Bell Test

Chapter 4: Kakashi's Infamous bell test

The next day, after team assignments had been made, Jake, Netto, and Meiru waited with Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto for Kakashi, who like usual, was late by a large margin. Jake was cleaning his sidearm, field-stripping it and seeing how fast he could re-assemble it, Netto was talking to Rockman while Naruto and Sasuke watched with interest, while Meiru, Sakura, and Roll were getting to know each other and having pleasant conversation. Suddenly, Kakashi appeared in a cloud of smoke.

Kakashi: Sorry I'm late, guys. I got lost--

Jake: --On the road called life.

Kakashi: How did you know I would say that, Jake?

Jake: Simple. I've used that excuse before.

Kakashi: Oh. Well anyway, Netto, Jake, Meiru, today is your survival test. The goal is simple. You must each take a bell from me in order to pass. Those who do not pass will be stuck in the academy for the rest of the summer.

Netto: Hold up! There's only two bells!

Kakashi: Exactly. You have two hours to complete this.

Kakashi then sent to the center of the field and sat down, pulling out his beloved orange book, Icha Icha Paradise. Meanwhile, Jake, Netto, and Meiru huddled up and began planning.

Jake: Ok, here's the plan...

Since this author doesn't want to give away the plan completely, I can only tell you all that the plan involved the use of three different types of nonlethal grenades, a knife, fancy moves from Metal Gear Solid 3, detonation cord, Flame and explosive tags, Kakashi's Orange Book, a tree, and C4 Plastic explosive. Now read on as the plan goes into action.

Jake: Ok, let's go!

The three netbattlers-cum-ninjas scattered into different directions, Kakashi taking small note of that.

Kakashi: Hmm, odd. After what I told them, I usually think they'd work against each other. Ah, well. It's not like they're serious threats.

Just then, three smoke grenades rolled towards him and detonated, building a large cloud of smoke around him.

Kakashi: Oh look, smoke grenades. We could've used these back in the day, but they take too long to build up smoke.

Then, more grenades came at him, this time spewing out greenish gas disguised as smoke.

Kakashi: What the...? Is this some type of tear gas?

Kakashi's eyes struggled to stay open because the mixture of the CS grenades and smoke were beginning to overwhelm him. His mask helped filter his breathing, and he was in the open air making it somewhat easier to breathe by reducing the toxicity of the gas, but he was beginning to move when three more grenades rolled to his feet. The grenades had holes in them, and he realized too late that they were flashbangs. They exploded in his face, blinding him and deafening him, dulling his senses, and making the activation of his Sharingan useless. as he stumbled around, he thought of his book and put it in a pocket. Then, as soon as he put his book away, his right knee gave out, and someone grabbed him from behind, put a knife to his throat, slashed the bells off, then, with his assailant's hand to his face, Kakashi was shoved to the ground, his head hitting so hard, that he was knocked unconscious. When he came to, He saw Netto and Meiru each dangling a bell in front of his face.

He looked past them to see Jake standing behind them, arms crossed, and with a strange look of accomplishment and satisfaction, despite the fact that he had no bell in hand. Kakashi thought this slightly suspicious

Kakashi: Well, looks like Netto and Meiru pass, but Jake will have to spend the rest of the summer in the academy.

Jake: Kakashi-sensei, you _will_ pass all three of us, if you want something very dear to you back in your posession. If you think I'm bluffing, check your pockets.

Kakashi patted himself down, suddenly beginning to sweat when he didn't feel a certain rectangular lump in his vest pocket.

Kakashi: No... You didn't...

Jake: Oh, but I did.

Jake stepped back to reveal the Icha Icha Paradise book strapped to a tree, which was surrounded by an intricate web of Detonation cord and flame and explosive tags.

Kakashi: Oh Dear God! What have you done to my book?

Jake: Nothing, yet. But, if you do not agree to pass us all, your book will go up in a flash of fire and explosions so bright, it can be seen from outer space. Oh, and don't bother to avoid the wires, because even if you do, I have already permanently attached a strip of C4 explosive to the spine of the book, and I have the detonator in my hand, which I have already activated. It contains a dead man switch, meaning if I let even one inkling of pressure off of the trigger, even if you kick it out of my hand, it will detonate anyway. So, what'll it be, Kakashi-sensei?

Kakashi: I'll... pass you.

Jake: Thanks.

Jake smiled evilly as he let go of the switch, and Kakashi looked on with wide eyes as he saw his favorite book go up in a ball of fire.

Kakashi: I didn't even get to the good part yet...

Kakashi began to weep for his lost book, when Jake began laughing hysterically.

Kakashi: What's so funny!

Jake: Hahahahaha! Oh, Come now, Kakashi-sensei! Do you really think I would let such a horrible thing happen to a lovable guy like you, even if you're a perv? _Here's_ the real book.

Jake pulled his hand from behind his back and lo and behold, it was Kakashi's Icha Icha Paradise book, completely unscathed, and as new as the day he bought it.

Kakashi: Thanks Jake. You know, you really had me going there. I need to keep a closer eye on you, sneaky little brat.

Just then, the rest of team 7 jumped down from the trees, watching what the newcomers did.

Naruto: Damn, you guys put us to shame! you set him up and knocked him down in 5 minutes! It took us 30! Maybe it's best if we learn from you, instead if you learn from us!

Netto: Nah, Jake's the one who came up with the plan. We just followed instructions.

Meiru: Yeah, besides, I don't think we'd even finish the test were it not for him.

Jake: Whatever. I have confidence in you guys! anyway, I'm hungry, and I feel like having Ramen...

Naruto: Really?

Jake: ...And rice.

Naruto: Huh?

Jake: Well, that's my personal preference, to mix the two together in a bowl and eat it all up.

Naruto: Well, in any case, before we go to Ichiraku, I think Sasuke, Sakura-chan and I should get our PETs, just so that our Navis can meet.

Netto: Sounds like a plan! And maybe we can netbattle!

Jake: Hold the phone, Netto. as much as I would like to get my buddy Shotman into a good ol' slugfest, we still need a place to battle.

Netto: Oh... Well, at least we'll meet each other's navis!

Jake: Then it's settled. Naruto, we'll meet you guys at Ichiraku.

To be continued

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Well, I hope you all liked this chapter! Please review! and as a special treat, for which I hope you all will review for, a preview of the next chapter and a glimpse into the more distant future of the story.

Spoiler: I plan to have Netto, Jake, and Meiru gain permission to stay in Konoha as long as they want, on the grounds that they still recieve their mandatory education.

Next chapter: Ramen and Romance?

As Jake walked casually to Ichiraku Ramen, he happened to come across a certain shy, indigo-haired girl. It was Hinata Hyuuga, as he managed to remember and she was just sitting below the shade of a tree, looking rather lonesome. He decided to engage converstion.

Jake: Excuse me, miss, but are you Hinata Hyuuga?

Hinata looked up and saw Jake's smiling face, slightly surprised at his sudden appearance.

Hinata: Um, y-yes. A-and you're that boy who played a song for Ino-san! I-I'm sorry I don't know your name.

Jake: That's ok. My name is Jacob Harrelson. You can call me Jake.

The two shook hands, and soon, they were walking side by side to Ichiraku Ramen.

Hinata: Jake, Um, how do you know about my name?

Jake: Naruto pointed you out to me in the team assignments.

Hinata: Really?

Hinata's mind began to race. Her crush acknowledged her! Now if only she could tell him how she really felt about him...

Jake: You like him, don't you?

Hinata: Wh-What! How do you know? I mean- Oh, forget it. Anyway, I'd l-like to know, how can you tell?

Jake: While it may not be obvious, I have some extremely hightened senses. I could hear your heartbeat from a good distance away, and even over the clamor in the room. I noticed that every time he came near you, your attention was focused on him, and your heart reate increased rapidly. I can tell you really have strong feelings for him, and now that I know this, I am going to let him know and act upon that. Considering what I've seen him go through, I think he needs someone who cares as much as you do about him.

Jake suddenly felt himself being squeezed. He opened his closed eyes to see Hinata hugging him, grateful for his offer.

Jake: Well, Um.. You're welcome?

----------------------------------

And now, that glimpse into the future I was talking about.

000000000000

Team 7, along with the other teams, which included Chopper Lee and his two classmates to form what was now the Rookie 12, were lined up in a straight, side-by-side single-file line as Jake paced up and down the line, with a beret and Battle Dress Uniform on. Jake was speaking of the reason they were all there.

Jake: The reason you are all here today is because Tsunade-Hokage-sama has given me permission, and the backing to form an elite squad on par with, if not surpassing the ANBU. Ladies and gentlemen, you have been handpicked to form Task Force 21.Our purpose is one thing: avenge the Third Hokage by Eradicating the threat that is Orochimaru and his followers. Simply put, we are a search-and-destroy unit with the resources, backing, and ability to defeat the rogue snake sannin Orochimaru. Once we have completed our goal, it is up to the Hokage to decide whether we will be disbanded or kept as a permanent unit that will accept new recruits every year.

Finally, everyone shockingly understood what they were to do. And it wasn't going to be easy. But silently, everyone made a vow to contribute to avenging the third Hokage in their own way. finally, Jake broke the silence by asking them to go over to a long table full of Airsoft firearms pointing downrange at targets. He asked 6 people to go up at one time, and as soon as they picked a weapon, spoke further.

Jake: One of the main points to this unit is that we are the first special forces in all of the element countries to use guns. My theory is that if you are forced to retreat because of one kunai wound too many, prevent that from happening again by making the next guy wish he didn't bring a knife to a gun fight. Thus, firearms will be the most important type of subject to train on next to Taijutsu, Ninjutsu, and Genjutsu. You all will familiarize yourselves with different types of fireams using these airsoft replicas. And so help me god, if any of you cannot put a single round from all of your weapons into your designated target, I will see to it that you are handcuffed to Rock Lee and forced to run 500 laps around Konoha, stopping every ten laps to do 20 pushups. Now take aim!

At once, the young Shinobi on the firing line gulped and raised their weapon sights to their eyes.

Jake: Open fire!

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And that's it for all the sneak peeks. please review!


	6. 5: Ramen and Romance?

Thanks to all those who reviewed! You've given me a serious morale boost! Now on with the story!

Chapter 5: Ramen and Romance?

Jake strolled down the streets of Konoha by himself. Netto and Meiru had gone off to get some things from thier cabin, mainly their battlechips, if just to show Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura. Jake had Shotman's PET with him, as well as his battlechips. Jake had customized his PET with a gun-shaped device that attached to his PET to form something similar to a pistol. One notable feature of this system was that every time the trigger or slide was pulled, the slide device on the top part of the device loaded in a new battlechip from a magazine and ejected the used one, similar to the way a real gun's slide cycled in a new round and ejected the shell of the old one. The device itself had been his ace in the hole in many a netbattle, but he tended not to netbattle much anymore, mainly because of a purpose he served since that day all those years ago.

Flashback

It was a cold night in DenSan City, one that would chill anybody's spirit. Jake was walking along a seedy area of the city, infamous at night for its high crime rate. As he turned a corner, he bumped into a man with a knit cap, gloves, a leather jacket, and jeans who looked oddly suspicious. he noticed the man walk out of an alley. Jake looked into the alley and saw the lifeless body of a woman, her clothing ripped, exposing her flesh, and her throat slashed open, a puddle of blood next to the cut. Jake turned around and saw the same man pointing a knife at him. Jake already figured the man was a rapist.

Rapist: Boy, if you know what's good for you, you'll walk away and not mention any of this to the police.

Instead of listening to him, Jake dashed at the man, who promptly thrust the large knife into Jake's chest, smiling, knowing that his attacker would surely die. Jake was still standing, however, a rather evil smile crossing his face as he looked down at the knife. even though it was plunged to deep into him, no blood came out of the wound. He looked up at the man, whose smile was replaced with a look of bewilderment.Why wasn't Jake dead? He knew all the right places to hit, and where he hit was the most fatal. Then, he looked into Jake's eyes. They began to glow red, and he realized that thisteenage boy in front of him was not a normal person. The rapist immediately turned around and started running, Jake giving him a few seconds head start. Jake then began chasing the man, who blindly turned into a dead end alley in an effort to escape. The rapist frantically pulled out a handgun and began shooting at Jake. the bullets hit, but Jake just laughed it off. The man grew even more frightened when he saw Jake's skin swallow the bullets bloodlessly, new skin forming over the offending lead projectiles. The rapist was backed up against the wall, and he fired his last shot at Jake's head. Jake didn't even defend against the bullet as it pierced his skull. To the rapist's horror, Jake's flesh and bone absorbed the bullet as well, despite the fact that it was a head shot. The rapist knew true fear now. He soiled himself as he stammered in fear.

Rapist: M-M-Monster!

Jake: No. Not a monster. **_Executioner_**.

Jake then pulled up his sleeve and bit his thumb, causing blood to come out. He used the blood to draw a crucifix between four marks on his arm, and dotted each point in the same manner as a christian made the sign of the cross. Then, he did some hand seals and slammed his hand down on the ground and uttered a different kind of summoning technique.

Jake: **_Bakemono Oni Kuchiyose No Jutsu!_** (Monster Demon Summoning technique)

Jake's arm began to pulsate, surrounded by a black aura. As soon as Jake pointed his arm at the man, two black shapes shot out that transformed into menacing dogs that were not of this earth. they snarled and foamed at the mouth as they set their sights on the offending rapist in front of them.

Jake: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, I will no longer allow you to walk this earth spreading your evil, rapist. I hope you are prepared to go to hell, because God no longer has mercy on your soul. Amen.

Jake then turned to his dog summons and issued a command.

Jake: Hounds of Hell, send him to the afterlife. He is no longer welcome on this earth.

At that, the dogs pounced on the rapist, whose screams were drowned out when one of the dogs ripped out his vocal chords. When morning came, the only evidence the man had existed was a large ring of splattered blood on the wall.

End Flashback

Back in the present, As Jake walked casually to Ichiraku Ramen, he happened to come across a certain shy, indigo-haired girl. It was Hinata Hyuuga, Heiress to the Hyuuga clan, as he managed to remember, and she was just sitting below the shade of a tree, looking rather lonesome. He decided to engage conversation.

Jake: Excuse me, miss, but are you Hinata Hyuuga?

Hinata looked up and saw Jake's smiling face, slightly surprised at his sudden appearance.

Hinata: Um, y-yes. A-and you're that boy who played a song for Ino-san! I-I'm sorry I don't know your name.

Jake: That's ok. My name is Jacob Harrelson. You can call me Jake.

The two shook hands, and soon, they were walking side by side to Ichiraku Ramen.

Hinata: Jake, Um, how do you know about my name?

Jake: Naruto pointed you out to me in the team assignments.

Hinata: Really?

Hinata's mind began to race. Her crush acknowledged her! Now if only she could tell him how she really felt about him...

Jake: You like him, don't you?

Hinata: Wh-What! How do you know? I mean- Oh, forget it. Anyway, I'd l-like to know, how can you tell?

Jake: While it may not be obvious, I have some extremely hightened senses. I could hear your heartbeat from a good distance away, and even over the clamor in the room. I noticed that every time he came near you, your attention was focused on him, and your heart reate increased rapidly. I can tell you really have strong feelings for him, and now that I know this, I am going to let him know and act upon that. Considering what I've seen him go through, I think he needs someone who cares as much as you do about him.

Jake suddenly felt himself being squeezed. He opened his closed eyes to see Hinata hugging him, smiling and grateful for his offer.

Jake: Well, Um... You're welcome?

Hinata turned slightly red in the face, releasing Jake.

Hinata: Sorry about that. Thank you for the offer.

Jake: It's nothing. I've played matchmaker before. How do you think Netto and Meiru became so in love with each other?

Hinata: Your two friends? But they seem like such opposites! Heh, are you sure Cupid's bow and arrow isn't in your arsenal of weapons?

The two laughed and smiled as they continued to Ichiraku Ramen Bar. Suddenly, Jake felt a disturbing prescence, and the aura emitted gave off unnerving intentions. Jake, thinking that Hinata's life was at risk at that moment, made some quick hand seals. He moved to protect Hyuuga Heiress next to him.

Jake: Hinata! Get down!

Jake quickly placed his glowing hands on the Gas Blowback airsoft gun in his crossdraw vest holster, and as he pulled it out in a puff of smoke, the orange tip disappeared, signifying the airsoft gun had transformed into a live, lead-spitting firearm. Jake spun around, dropped down to one knee, and opened fire at their stalker, who was up in a tree. Jake clearly heard the figure say, "Whoa, whoa!" before falling out of the tree and landing on the dusty ground. Jake rushed up to the cloud of dust, telling Hinata to stay a certain distance from him while he had his gun in hand. Suddenly, upon seeing who was in the cloud of dust, he safed his weapon and turned it back into an airsoft gun, placing it back in the holster.

Jake: Gomen nasai, TenTen-san. I didn't know it was you. I only reacted because it seemed that your aura had a murderous intent.

Jake reached out his hand. TenTen took it, and brushed the dust off herself. It turned out she was the one following them.

TenTen: Christ, kid! I've heard of Hair-trigger reflexes, but that was ridiculous! Does this mean whenever you sense some sort of evil aura, you drop what you're doing and become a goddamn guidance system for that thing tucked in your vest?

Jake: I guess.

TenTen: Cool. I admire you for that ability.

Jake: Really? I thought it was more of nuisance to other people.

TenTen: Anyway, I've been reading an article in my weapons magazine lately about Airsoft, and I think I could get into it. Can you point me towards some good starting equipment?

Jake then grinned. If anyone in the village right now knew the most about Airsoft, it was him.

Jake: Maybe in a bit. Would you like to join us? We're gonna meet the rest of my team at Ichiraku Ramen.

TenTen: Why the hell not? My team is gonna be there, anyway.

And so, the three finally arrived at Ichiraku Ramen Stand just as the others began arriving too. Jake greeted them on sight, and nodded to Hinata. She went to a seat, following Jake's instructions. He was planning something, but she wasn't told exactly what. Meanwhile, the rest of Team Gai had arrived, and Rock Lee went over to Jake, admiring his ability to carry the immense amount of weapons on his person.

Rock Lee: Amazing! Surely the fire of youth burns within you, because it looks like no ordinary shinobi can carry that many weapons without falling under its sheer weight!

Jake: Aw, shucks, Lee. It's nothing, really. It's just the result of years of military-based strength and fitness training...

Rock Lee: I still admire you for that Jake! May I try your vest on?

Jake: Ok, if that'll satisfy you.

Jake took off his vest and handed it to Rock Lee, who hastily put it on. As soon as he zipped the vest up, he fell down, his legs having slipped out from under him due to the sheer weight. Rock Lee, however, was not discouraged.

Rock Lee: Ah! Yes! A challenge worthy of my hard work! I must get a vest the same weight as this, and start training in Taijutsu while wearing it to make me stronger!

Then, Gai appeared behind Lee, giving him the 'Nice Guy' pose.

Gai: Atta boy, Lee! Your decision makes me more proud of you!

Gai then pointed at Jake, who was about to eat his Ramen and rice.

Gai: Honorable Jacob Harrelson! Where may I purchase one of these vests for my student?

Jake: Gai-san, I got that on But personally, I think that instead of going to the trouble to buy a load-bearing vest, which is expensive, I suggest getting a cheaper Bulletproof vest replica and adding lead inserts to it so that it conforms to his Lee's body better. He can't afford to have dangling objects flying around while he trains.

Gai took this into account, and then also gave Jake the 'Nice Guy' pose.

Gai: Thank you for the advice, Jacob Harrelson! Come, Lee! We must be off... To the nearest computer with online access!

Rock Lee: Right behind you, Gai-sensei!

As the two green-clad shinobi ran off, everyone turned to the latest member of Team Gai who also had 'Lee' in his name.

Chopper Lee: Hey, don't look at me! I swear to god, I am not related to them in any way, shape, or form!

At once, everyone went back to what they were doing. Jake put his vest back on and sat next to Naruto.

Jake: Hey, Naruto.

Naruto: Yeah?

Jake: Remember when you said you couldn't figure out why Hinata Hyuuga acted so timid around you?

Naruto: Mm-hmm.

Jake: Well, I figured out why. Naruto... She's in love with you.

The words hit Naruto's ears like a tire iron from a sadistic mobster. His eyes grew wide, and he sneezed, for some reason, and a ramen noodle shot out of his nose, to add to the awkwardness of the situation. Most of the genin there turned and stared at him. Finally, Kiba broke the silence with a chuckle, which escalated into howling laughter.

Kiba: Jesus Christ, Naruto! Swallow your food before you sneeze! Oh my God! This is too priceless for words!

Naruto, meanwhile, covered the noodle in paper napkin and tossed it in the nearest trash bin.

Naruto: No way in hell am I putting that noodle in my mouth again.

Jake: Anyway, Naruto, From what I've seen, most of the time, Hinata's not exactly good with speaking her mind. However, when I talked to her and mentioned that you pointed her out to me, she spoke much clearer. That led me to one conclusion. She draws strength from you, Naruto. You're her main source of confidence. I think it would be decent of you to ask her out for a meal sometime, even if just to get to know her better. Who knows, you two may have something in common, or something may make you more attracted towards her. I'm not trying to be mean or anything, but face it: I believe Sakura may be more comfortable with you as a friend, comrade, and teammate rather than a suitor. After all, her affection in terms of passion are more directed to Sasuke than anyone else.

Naruto: Wow... I never thought about it that way. Ah, I guess I'll give it a shot.

Jake pounded fists with Naruto, who was ready to ask out Hinata there and then.

Jake: Go get 'em, tiger. I mean, kitsune.

Naruto grinned back at Jake and then turned around to face Hinata, who was just staring down. he sat down next to her, and she was startled to see her crush next to her.

Hinata: N-Naruto-kun! Sorry, I-I didn't realize you were here!

Naruto: There's no need to apologize, Hinata-chan.

Hinata's heart skipped a beat. She had never heard Naruto call her Hinata-**_chan_** before! Could it be possible that he may have feelings for her, as well?

Naruto: Um, H-Hinata-chan? I wanted to ask you something...

Hinata: Go Ahead, Naruto-kun.

Naruto: Would it be so brash of me as to ask you out to dinner Thursday night?

Hinata blushed. She was awestruck that the one she loved was asking **her** out instead of it being the other way around.

Hinata: No, Naruto-kun. It wouldn't. I would very much like that.

Naruto: Is Bennigan's ok with you?

Hinata: Definitely!

Naruto: Then it's settled. I'll pick you up on thursday at 7.

Meanwhile, at the other side of the Ramen Bar, Jake smiled to himself.

Jake: Well I'll be damned. Move over, Alex Hitchens! there's a new Date Doctor in town! All Right, Step 1 is complete. Step 2, I have to teach this kid to handle a decent set of wheels.

To be Continued...

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Hope you all liked that! Please review! Meanwhile, enjoy this preview of the next chapter!

Preview for chapter 6: A decent set of wheels

Naruto drove Jake's Go-kart back to the starting line of the course, looking sheepish. Jake peered through the window and saw that Naruto's shirt and pants were soaked in water, the paper cup in the cupholder practically devoid of any water. Jake shook his head.

Naruto: I'm sorry Jake, but no matter how hard I try, I can't drive smooth enough to keep the water from splashing onto me.

Jake was then struck by an idea. Jake took the paper cup, refilled it, and stuck it back in the cupholder.

Jake: Naruto, I want you to try something. As you drive through the course, I want you to feed chakra to the wheels via the steering wheel, but just enough so that you feel the tires really hugging the asphalt. Now with that piece of advice in mind, I want you to go through the course as fast as you can, but still without spilling a drop of water from the cup. Go!


	7. 6: A Decent Set of Wheels

Chapter 6: A decent set of wheels

/.../-thinking

Soon after Naruto bid Hinata goodbye for the day, he went back over to Jake, grinning his fox grin.

Jake: What'd I tell you? She accepted, didn't she?

Naruto: She did!

Jake: Well, let me finish talking to TenTen, and then we're gonna leave. I have to teach you an important thing about making a good first impression on a girl.

Thus, Jake finished making suggestions to TenTen on how to get started in Airsoft. He and Naruto then bid everyone goodbye as they walked off. Jake led Naruto to a large vacant lot covered in asphalt. There were many cones located around the lot, suggesting that a course of some sort was being set up. The only building in sight was a small shack that seemed about the size of a two-car garage. Jake's Go-kart, a two-seater Nissan Skyline R32 GTS RWD replica with a compact version of the RB26DETT 4WD Skyline engine under the hood, and a fully created interior, was idling at a stop sign at the beginning of the course.

Naruto: Jake, what did you take me here for?

Jake: Naruto, I'm teaching you how to drive.

Naruto: Really?

Jake: Yes. Now hop in the passengers seat. We'll go through the basics first.

And thus, Naruto and Jake spent a few hours going through the basic Driver's Ed lessons, including the dreaded parallel parking. Naruto caught the hang quickly, and eventually, they moved to a harder lesson.

Jake: Ok, Naruto, the next lesson is how to drive quickly yet smoothly.

Naruto: How am I going to do that?

Jake: Here, I'll show you.

Jake filled a paper cup with water all the way to the brim and placed it in the cupholder.

Jake: Now, Naruto, I want you to watch how the water in the paper cup behaves in coordination with what I do throughout the course. Remember, the point of this is not to spill a single drop no matter what I do.

Naruto: Ok. Let's go!

Jak smirked and stomped on the gas. Naruto was pushed back into his seat as the car accelerated. Naruto looked at the paper cup and noticed that the water was up against the rear edge of the cup, but it did not spill over. Jake was accelerating at an insane rate, and they were heading towards a turn, and he showed no signs of slowing down. Jake popped the clutch and yanked the handbrake, and the rear wheels began to slide. as Jake drifted through the corner, Naruto was shocked to see that the water was spinning, but still did not spill over the brim. They continued like that for the rest of the course. Eventually, Jake handed the car over to Naruto, who was now supposed to go as fast as he could through the course without spilling a drop. Naruto did the course again and again. Each time, Naruto drove Jake's Go-kart back to the starting line of the course, looking sheepish. Jake peered through the window and saw that Naruto's shirt and pants were soaked in water, the paper cup in the cupholder practically devoid of any water. Jake shook his head.

Naruto: I'm sorry Jake, but no matter how hard I try, I can't drive smooth enough to keep the water from splashing onto me.

Jake was then struck by an idea. Jake took the paper cup, refilled it, and stuck it back in the cupholder.

Jake: Naruto, I want you to try something. As you drive through the course, I want you to feed chakra to the wheels via the steering wheel, but just enough so that you feel the tires really hugging the asphalt. Now with that piece of advice in mind, I want you to go through the course as fast as you can, but still without spilling a drop of water from the cup. Go!

Naruto stepped on the gas as he channeled chakra through the steering wheel, the wastegates from the twin turbocharged engine hissing. Chakra lightly covered all four wheels, making them grip the asphalt like velcro. Naruto began to speed through the course, and tapped the brakes lightly as he went into the first turn. The water in the cup rolled toward the edge of the brim, but didn't spill. Instead, the water began to spin inside the cup. Naruto kept going throughout the course. When he drove back to Jake, he was grinning, and Jake did too, seeing all the water still in the cup.

Jake: Well done Naruto. Now shut off the engine and hop out of there. I have something to show you.

After getting out and handing Jake the keys to the Skyline, He followed Jake over to the Garage-shack. Jake opened the doors and pulled the tarp off of an object. Naruto looked at it in awe. Under the tarp was another one of Jake's custom 2-seater go-karts, this time, a Blaze Orange(Uzumaki Blaze Orange, as Jake called it.) Toyota AE86 Sprinter Trueno with a fully made interior, complete with a factory original instrument panel plus aftermarket gauges, A/C, heating, A Pioneer Radio with a 3-disc in-dash CD changer plus MP3 player and PET connectivity, bucket racing seats, and a removable Sparco racing wheel. Outside, the car was equipped with doors that opened three different ways(Regular, gullwing, and Lamborghini scissor), a Veilside body kit, red Rays Engineering aluminum wheels wrapped in Advan Azenis tires, the stock flip-up headlights, and on the sides of the car was a large vinyl graphic down the entire length of the car that showed a sprinting fox. Jake led Naruto over to the rear hatch, which he lifted up, to reveal folded-down factory seats that could be put in place of the racing seats, a toolbox, spare tire with the same components, and 2 currently-disconnected 50HP bottles of Nitrous oxide. Jake then Led Naruto to the front and popped the hood after shutting the hatch. Naruto was amazed at the engine. Under the hood was a Compact Toyota Supra Turbo 2JZ-GTE powerplant, but instead of having a single turbo and a stock intercooler, it was a twincharged monster that had a HKS Turbocharger and Wastegate system as well as a Vortech engineering Supercharger and a Greddy Intercooler system with a Nitrous Express N-tercooler system linked up to a C02 Bottle for rapid cooling of intake air temperatures, as well as increasing the car's power by 52 HP. The total amount of tuning had given the car/ Go-kart a grand total of 302 horsepower without using the nitrous in the back.

Naruto: Nice Ride, Jake! She yours?

Jake: Like it, huh? Just finished her yesterday. But she's not mine anymore.

Jake tossed the keys to Naruto, which consisted of the ignition and locks key, a remote to activate certain functions of the car, and a metal Konoha symbol keychain. Naruto caught the keys and stared at it in his hands.

Naruto: You-You mean...

Jake: Take it home, Naruto. It's yours, free of charge.

Grinning from ear to ear, Naruto hopped into his new ride, started it up, feeling the power of the engine through the steering wheel.

Jake/Just wait till you pop the clutch after putting it in first gear.../

Sure enough, Naruto shifted into first gear and pressed the gas pedal. The car shot out of the small garage into the asphalt lot. Feeling mischievous, Naruto suddenly yanked the handbrake and put the car into a donut. Jake smiled and shook his head. His 'student' learned fast. Then, he remembered something. He ran up to Naruto, who had just stopped his new car.

Jake: Naruto, by the way, I have a Summoning Jutsu just for this purpose. It requires you to draw a bit of blood and put your ignition key on it.

Naruto: How do I do it?

Jake: First, draw the blood from your thumb, then paint a strip on your other hand. Then, using a moderate amount of chakra, do all the Boar, Dog, Bird, Monkey, and Sheep hand signs, in that order, and then place your key in the strip of blood, plant your hand on the ground, then recite the words, **_Kuchioyse no Jutsu!_** and the car should appear in front of you. But, before you do all that, you have to sign your name in blood on this contract scroll, which I luckily have in my garage. I'll bring it to you.

Jake brought Naruto the scroll and opened it. Naruto signed his name in the contract and Jake snapped it shut.

Naruto: Hey Jake? I need you to ride alongside me. I'm gonna drop this off at my old apartment, then, I'll ride with you back to the cabin. I'm gonna try summoning my car from there.

Jake: No problem.

So, once Jake locked the garage, he hopped in his Skyline and followed Naruto. When they stopped by Naruto's apartment, Naruto locked his car then hopped in Jake's Skyline. As soon as they arrived at Team 7's cabin, Naruto hopped out and did the Summoning technique, smiling when his new car appeared in its new parking spot. He and Jake finally went inside the Cabin, where they were confronted by Sakura and Sasuke. Netto and Meiru were having their Navis get to know those of the rest of Team 7's. Sakura's Navi was Medic-nin.EXE, Naruto's was Foxman.EXE, and Sasuke's was Raven.EXE.

Sakura: So, where did you guys go? It was getting dark out, and we were worried about you!

Sasuke: Before you make a snide comment, _dobe_, I'll have you know that I was worried about your safety, but more foer Jake's safety than yours. And just what the hell are you grinning about?

Naruto: Simple. Jake taught me how to drive using his car!

Sasuke and Sakura stood there in shock. They paled at the prospect of their loud, Blond, and reckless teammate in control of Jake's fine-tuned street machine.

Sakura: Oh dear god...

Sasuke: He didn't wrap it around a tree, did he? C'mon, you don't have to defend him.

Jake: Far from it, really! He's a quick learner! Don't be so doubtful of him!

Naruto: Yeah! Besides, he gave me something that I want to show you guys!

At this, everyone's interest was piqued. Everyone followed Naruto outside to see what it was.

Kakashi: What is it that you want to show us, Naruto?

Naruto: You'll see...

Naruto then grasped the cover he put over his car.

Sakura: Naruto, is what's under that tarp what I think it is?

Naruto smiled and whipped the cover off his Trueno. Everyone was so in awe, that Kakashi even dropped his book as he stared at the bright orange car.

Naruto: That's right. She's my new baby.

As most everyone joined Naruto to check out the features of the car, Sasuke stayed behind, rather envious of Naruto's new ride. He talked to Jake about getting a car like Naruto's.

Sasuke: You build that for him?

Jake: Yup. It's sort of my gift to him for passing my driving test. It's also something I gave him so that he can score extra points with Hinata. I've learned that the ladies love a man who can drive well.

Sasuke: Well, I'm not gonna let Uzumaki one-up me by a lot. Since my family left their fortune to me, as Itachi-teme didn't think of taking it, I'll pay you 200,000 Ryou, which is the equivalent of $10,000 dollars, for a custom-built Go-kart or car, whatever you call a car of that size and build, plus $500 for the driving lessons. Whaddaya say? Do we have a deal?

Jake: Well, I'll gladly take it, but are you sure that you're willing to part with that much?

Sasuke: Let me tell you, Jake. Considering that we owned a lot, money is no object because of that fortune.

Jake: Fine, then. What kind of car do you want, in what color, and what do you want in it?

Sasuke smirked and shook hands with Jake.

Sasuke: Looks like we have a deal then. I want a midnight black Nissan Skyline GT-R R34 with the same features as Naruto's car.

Jake: Ok, I can do most of the features, but a Skyline's engine isn't designed for twincharging. It'll have two turbos instead. Is that fine with you?

Sasuke: That's ok. I don't mind.

Jake: Ok, then. It'll take me at least a few weeks to finish most of the car. I hope you're a patient man.

Sasuke: Don't worry. Time is all I've got.

To be continued...

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Whew! Cranking out chapters in one to two days is really time consuming! I hope you enjoyed this and review! Meanwhile, check out the preview for the next chapter!

Preview for Chapter 7: Daily Grind

It was another day in Team 7's Cabin. Everyone was rather bored, not even having a menial mission to do. Kakashi suddenly came in, holding a piece of paper in hand.

Naruto: Kakashi-sensei, Do we even have a D-rank mission to do? I'm. So. Damn. Bored.

Kakashi: Surprisingly, yes. I just recieved a mission order from the office.

Naruto: Who's the Client?

Jake: Me.

All eyes in the room turned to Jake. The original Team 7 was surprised.

Sakura: Can someone even do that?

Jake: The Hokage said there's no law against it, as long as the pay is reasonable.

Sasuke: What are you having us do?

Jake: Since so many people were interested in these cars that I've built, I'm funding an operation out of my own pockets to start up a Car and Go-kart dealership right here in Konoha. I'm contracting you guys to help me build a showroom and test track on a large plot of land I bought. I'm not getting paid for this, you guys are. And as a bonus, when we're not on missions, Those of you who want to can be a test driver for any of the design models I make, as well as a 50 discount on all vehicles and/or parts you buy. If we work together, it should take about 5 days to get everything set up. 2 days for the showroom, and 3 for the test track. I'm building the whole property on the asphalt lot and the test track on an area I cleared and marked out in the woods. I've got plans to use the track for sanctioned races as well as Driver's ed Courses and combat driving courses. So, who's with me?

All: We are!

Jake: Great. We start today. I've got the materials and tools ready, So let's move out!

- - - - - - - - - - - -

FYI: Twincharging is when an Engine contains both a Turbocharger and a Supercharger for increasing power and decreasing turbo lag.


	8. 7: Daily Grind

Chapter 7: Daily Grind

It was another day in Team 7's Cabin. Everyone was rather bored, not even having a menial mission to do. Kakashi suddenly came in, holding a piece of paper in hand.

Naruto: Kakashi-sensei, Do we even have a D-rank mission to do? I'm. So. Damn. Bored.

Kakashi: Surprisingly, yes. I just recieved a mission order from the office.

Naruto: Who's the Client?

Jake: Me.

All eyes in the room turned to Jake. The original Team 7 was surprised.

Sakura: Can someone even do that?

Jake: The Hokage said there's no law against it, as long as the pay is reasonable.

Sasuke: What are you having us do?

Jake: Since so many people were interested in these cars that I've built, I'm funding an operation out of my own pockets to start up a Car and Go-kart dealership right here in Konoha. I'm contracting you guys to help me build a showroom and test track on a large plot of land I bought. I'm not getting paid for this, you guys are. And as a bonus, when we're not on missions, Those of you who want to can be a test driver for any of the design models I make, as well as a 50 percent discount on all vehicles and/or parts you buy. If we work together, it should take about 5 days to get everything set up. 2 days for the showroom, and 3 for the test track. I'm building the whole property on the asphalt lot and the test track on an area I cleared and marked out in the woods. I've got plans to use the track for sanctioned races as well as Driver's ed Courses and combat driving courses. So, who's with me?

All: We are!

Jake: Great. We start today. I've got the materials and tools ready, So let's move out!

And thus, Naruto got into his AE86, while Sasuke and Jake got in the Skyline, Sakura and Meiru in Meiru's pink Honda S2000, and Netto and Kakashi in Netto's Nissan Sileighty (180SX in back, Silvia S13 in front). Naruto knew the way to the asphalt lot, so he led the convoy.

Jake: So anyway, Sasuke, I'll be teaching you mostly the same driving and racing techniques as Naruto. After that, you're on your own to develop techniques of your own.

Sasuke: Hm. My question is, how amazing can these techniques really be?

Jake: Glad you asked.

Jake called up Naruto's PET.

Jake: Yo, Naruto! Show Sasuke something that I taught you!

Naruto: With pleasure!

Sasuke watched as Naruto sped up as he reached a corner. Sasuke saw a flash of the Eight-six's tail lights before the tail began to slide. Sasuke began to frown slightly.

Sasuke: This is what you've been teaching him? How to make his insurance bill skyrocket?

Jake: Keep watching.

Sasuke's eybrowd arched up in slight surprise as Naruto turned what he thought was a spinout into a flawless opposite-lock drift before disappearing out of view momentarily.

Sasuke: Whoa. So, the _dobe_ has learned a few new tricks. Interesting.

Jake, however, could read Sasuke like an open book at the moment, and new that underneath the service, Sasuke was in awe of the technique. He smirked.

Jake: You think that's impressive, watch what happens as we go around this hairpin turn. (On PET Phone) Yo, Naruto! Gutter hook this next corner!

Naruto: You got it!

Sasuke watched from the passenger's seat of the Skyline as Naruto sped into the Hairpin corner at a seemingly dangerous rate.

Sasuke: I hope he knows what he's doing. I don't want to have to pull him out of a mangled, burning, wreck.

Jake: You won't. Naruto cares too damn much about his car to let that happen. Now watch, damn it.

Sasuke watched as Naruto swerved to the right, then left to drop his left tires into the gutter. as they rounded the corner, Naruto's car suddenly vanished in an orange flicker.

Sasuke: What the-- Where did he go? Jake, floor it! We have to catch up to him!

Jake: Ok.

Thus, Jake floored the gas pedal and rounded the corner in much the same way as Naruto, but when they exited the corner, Naruto's car was nowhere in sight, and there were no telltale signs that he had ran off the road. Not even tire tracks, which Jake could see no matter how well they blended into the surface.

Sasuke: Damn, he vanished. I guess he's ok, I didn't hear any sounds of crumpling metal or see a cloud of smoke. Off to the construction site then, I guess.

A few minutes later, the convoy had arrived in the asphalt lot, which now had a rectangular section cut out where the foundation had already been completed by Naruto and some Kage Bunshins.

Jake and the others got out of their cars and locked the doors.

Jake: Christ, Naruto. Starting without us already?

Naruto: I read the blueprints, so I thought we'd get started already.

Jake pulled out a nail gun and attached it to the air compressor he had with him. He smacked a magazine full of nails into the gun, a click sound confirming that it was loaded.

Jake: Ok, then. Let's get to work, everyone!

Thus, with the help of the Kage Bunshins Naruto provided, they were able to quickly and reliably complete both the showroom and repair shop inside and out in a whopping six hours, and were halfway done with the race/test track when it was quitting time. Jake walked over to Naruto, who was putting away the equipment to remind him about his date with Hinata. It was thrusday night, and it was already 5:30 at night.

Jake: Hey, Naruto. Go ahead and head home, take a good shower and wear something nice, tasteful, yet casual. Tonight's your date with Hinata, remember?

Naruto: Oh, Yeah! I almost forgot! Thanks for reminding me, Jake!

Jake: I guess Ino and I will see you guys at Bennigan's, then.

Naruto: Let me guess, you also asked her if Bennigan's was ok as well. That's cool. I'm fine with a double date, and I'm sure Hinata won't mind.

Jake: Then it's settled. I'll see you later, then.

Jake then turned to the rest of Team 7 for tomorrow's activities.

Jake: Ok, guys. The plan for tomorrow is to finish the track, and then, before I pay you guys, I want to put our team through firearms training in the woods behind the track. Is that cool with you guys?

Kakashi: Hey, if it'll come in handy fr future missions, why not?

All the others nodded in agreement, and Jake continued.

Jake: If any of you want to stay behind tomorrow, I could use your help in building Sasuke's car.

Sakura was surprised.

Sakura: You're getting a new car, like Naruto's, Sasuke-kun?

Sasuke smirked.

Sasuke: Yes, Sakura. Except it'll be more powerful and better than Naruto's flashy Trueno.

Jake chuckled and chided Sasuke slightly.

Jake: Now, Now, Sasuke. Power is useless and meaningless without control and agility. Get what I'm saying? It's up to you if you want to master the three arts of racing: Drift, Grip, and Drag.

Sasuke: Do you have to ask? Of course I'll master them all. Even if I have to struggle. Who knows? Maybe racing is a more bloodless way for me to avenge my family by disgracing Itachi-teme over and over again. /_Or, I could run him over with my car./_

Meanwhile, as Team 7 was discussing about cars, Chopper Lee was training with Team Gai, specifically with TenTen. He was about to show her one of his techniques.

Chopper Lee: Yo, TenTen. Watch this technique! It'll blow yo' mind.

TenTen: What are you gonna do?

Chopper Lee: I'm gonna make my hatchet lodge itself in that tree, but not before it goes through the log.

TenTen: That's impossible! Not even I can do that!

Chopper Lee: Just watch.

Chopper Lee whipped his hatchet at the log, and quickly brought his other hand down from over his head in a Karate-chop stance, shouting the name of his technique.

Chopper Lee: **_Kaze No Kizu!_** (Wind Scar)

TenTen felt a gust of wind and had to shield her eyes as the wind kicked up dust. When the dust settled, she was astonished at what she saw.

TenTen: No freakin' way.

The hatchet Chopper Lee had thrown was neatly lodged in the tree, as promised, but the log obstructing the line of sight had been neatly split in two by the gust of wind Chopper created.

Chopper Lee: Impressive, ne?

TenTen: I'll say. Oh, before I forget, our teams got together before the team assignments a few days earlier, and we decided we'd all throw a Cosplay party at the Hyuuga mansion, with permission from Hiashi-san, Hinata-chan's father and Neji-kun's uncle, to welcome the new recruits. You're invited, so, if you wanna come, who are you gonna go as?

Chopper Lee: I love cosplay! I'm going as Sora from Kingdom Hearts. I even have a Keyblade fabricated and everything!

TenTen: Awesome! The party's on Friday night from 7 to 10.

Chopper Lee: I'll see you there, then.

To Be Continued...

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Well, everyone, sorry if this chapter is short, but I gotta say, it's sorta rare for me to crank out chapters day after day. Please review, and enjoy the preview for the next chapter!

Preview for Chapter 8: Naruto's date

Naruto and Hinata sat quietly at their booth seat as they ate dinner. Naruto noticed a little bit of Ketchup on Hinata's cheek.

Naruto: Hinata-chan, you have something on your cheek! Here, let me get that for you.

Naruto took his own napkin and wiped the bit of ketchup off of his date's face.

Naruto: There you go!

Naruto smiled at Hinata, his eyes closed, having been happy to help.

Hinata: Th-Thank you, Naruto-kun.

Hinata felt she could die happy at the moment. Her crush had done something so... affectionate for her!

Meanwhile, Jake and Ino were three tables away, commenting on Naruto and Hinata's date.

Jake: Things seem to be going well.

Ino: I agree... Would you say the same about us?

Jake: Of course, honey! And It's only about to get better!

Ino: What do you mean?

Jake: Close your eyes and hold out your hands.

Ino did as she was told. Jake pulled out a long, thin black box and placed it in Ino's hands.

Jake: You can open your eyes now, Ino-chan.

Ino was surprised to find the present in her hands.

Ino: Jake, what's in here?

Jake: Go ahead and open it.

Ino slowly opened the box and when she saw what was inside, tears of joy began to well up in her eyes.

Ino: Oh my god! Jake, you didn't have to!

Ino opened the box completely to reveal a Custom-made platinum necklace encrusted in various places with 24-carat diamonds. Attached to the necklace was a key with jewels cut, shaped, and placed in just the right way to form the Nissan Logo, the key itself made of platinum and silver.

Ino: Jake, does this mean...

Jake: Yes it does, Ino. We're moving up another step in our relationship. I'll teach you how to drive, and then you can use my car whenever you want. Of course, I'll be building a car just for you.

Ino hugged Jake and hissed him on the cheek, Jake blushing under her hold on him.

Ino: Oh, Thank you, Jake! You are the sweetest boy I've ever known!

Jake: Aw, Ino, It's just the way I was raised.

Ino: Your parents should be very proud of you, then.

-----------------------------

Please review!


	9. 8: Naruto's date

Chapter 8: Naruto's Date

/.../thinking

Jake stayed behind after Team 7 left for the cabin to admire their work, and make some last minute additions to the shop. As soon as he locked up the shop, however, he was confronted by a small group of villagers, wielding various weapons and objects, from Machetes to Kendo sticks to baseball bats. And they sure as hell weren't there to order a vehicle.

Villager: Hey, _Gaijin_! You gave that damn brat that car of his, didn't you?

Jake: What's your problem with Naruto? So I taught him how to drive and gave him transportation. Why is that such a big deal? You jealous or something?

Villager: Oh, a wiseass, huh? No, we're not jealous, but we sure as hell don't like the fact that you made life easier for that demon you call a friend! For that, we're gonna tear your shop and your hard work to pieces, and you'll suffer the same fate if you try to stop us!

Jake mentally cursed himself for having left his vest in the car. Since the repair garage was open, however, he plucked a tire iron off of one of the shelves and tapped it in his palm repeatedly.

Jake: All right, look. You guys have made by day a little sour, and I have serious anger control problems. So, you have two choices. A, You all drop your weapons, go home, and forget that you threatened my livelihood, or B, You all become hospital bed neighbors after you've tasted the chrome on this here tire iron I have. What's it gonna be?

All at once, the four villagers charged at Jake with murderous intent.

Jake: (Sigh) Have it your way. Taste the chrome, you bastards! TASTE IT!

While Jake began duking it out with the villagers, Naruto was making preparations for his date with

Hinata back at Team 7's cabin. After showering, he got dressed in a red and blue-checkered button-up long-sleeve shirt, Khaki pants, and some decent sneakers. Not having immediate access to a mirror, Naruto asked himself an obvious question.

Naruto: Hmm, I wonder how I look?

Sakura: Hey, Looking good, Naruto-kun!

Naruto spun around to see Sakura smiling at him. She and the rest of team 7, minus Jake, arrived home just now, and Sakura walked in to see Naruto neatly dressed in clothes other than his usual orange attire.

Naruto: Arigato, Sakura-chan. Thanks for your compliment! I better go and pick up Hinata now.

Kakashi: Why? You've got like, 45 minutes until you have to pick her up.

Naruto: I'm stopping by Ino's place to buy some flowers, and then at Chouji's to get a box of chocolates I ordered from his mom.

Sakura: Wow, Naruto. You sure have become more mature these past few months. I'm proud of you, and I'm sure if Iruka-sensei heard about this, he would be, too.

Naruto: I guess it's an effect of hanging around with Jake! Well, I gotta go! See ya!

Sasuke: Hey, _dobe_.

Naruto cringed at the insult.

Naruto: Yeah?

Sasuke: Good luck.

Naruto: Thanks.

Sasuke smirked as he listened to Naruto get in his Eight-Six, start the engine, and drive off into the night.

Sasuke/Hmm, he's really matured in the past few months. Maybe I should give him more respect. I know! I'll insult him less, and only insult him in a socially crippling moment or setting. That way, I can still get my kicks./

Meanwhile, back at the newly constructed dealership, Jake was catching his breath from the small slugfest he had. The four villagers that had attacked him were now laying on the ground, unconscious from concussions given to them by the Tire iron Jake had. meanwhile, Jake himself looked worse off, cuts and bruises scattered around his face, a black eye, and worst of all, his right arm was broken at the elbow. Basically, while Jake was immortal, it didn't mean he couldn't be crippled. With his good arm, he grabbed a piece of wood, bit down on it, and in one quick motion, popped his forearm back into place by yanking it to the left. Jake emitted a grunt of pain muffled by the wood in his mouth, and then rested, the experience being rather unpleasant. As he rested, the voice inside of him, his inner demon, piped up.

Jake's Inner Demon: So, kid. Are you gonna have the dogs send these schmucks to hell?

Jake: Nah, they're just small fry, their motives are discrimination-based, and unless they actually give Naruto a grevious life-threatening injury, I see no reason to send them to the great beyond.

Jake's Inner Demon: Ok, then. It's your call. You ok?

Jake: Yeah. It's nothing I can't handle.

Jake looked at his watch and noticed that he didn't have much time left to pick up Ino.

Jake: Aw, crap. I almost forgot about my date tonight.

Jake's Inner Demon: You got a date tonight? In that case, I'll heal your injuries halfway, then let your body do the rest.

Jake: Why halfway?

Jake's Inner Demon: Jesus, Kid. Do I have to spell it out for you? You should know the saying: "Chicks Dig Scars".

Jake promptly face-faulted.

Jake: (Sigh) I guess.

Jake's Inner Demon: That's the spirit! Now after you get showered, Band-aid most of your wounds, if they haven't turned into scars, then put a black eyepatch over your black eye before you arrive at Ino's. Eyepatches make a guy with your looks seem that much more bad-ass. Plus, the bandages score you pity points.

Jake had already put his arm in a cast and sling and got in his car to drive back to Team 7's Cabin in Record time. He got showered, and got dressed for his date with Ino, remembering to pick up his present for her on the way out the door. Sakura, Sasuke, and Kakashi watched Jake, puzzled, as he slipped on an eyepatch over one of his eyes.

Kakashi: What happened to him?

Sasuke: It's probably better not to ask.

Sakura: Sasuke-kun, are you going to the cosplay party tomorrow night?

Sasuke: Rrrgh... I guess. I have nothing better to do on friday night.

Sakura: Netto-kun, Meiru-chan! How about you guys?

Meiru: Count us in! I'm going as Meryl Silverburgh, and Netto-kun is going as Solid Snake.

Sakura: Cool! A Metal Gear Solid Couple!

Meanwhile, While Team 7 was making preparations to go to the cosplay party, Naruto arrived at the gates of where it would be held: The Hyuuga mansion. Having already purchased a bouquet of purple roses(a symbol of protection) mixed with yellow red-tipped roses(a symbol of friendship and falling in love), and a box of chocolates, Naruto stopped his car, shut off the engine, and stepped out. Neji was hanging around next to the gate. Upon seeing Naruto's arrival, Neji called out to Hinata.

Neji: Hinata! Naruto's here!

Hinata: Uh, um, Tell him to come inside, Please! I'm not quite ready yet!

Neji: Well, you heard her. Follow me, Naruto.

As Naruto and Neji walked to the front door of the mansion, Neji gave Naruto a warning.

Neji: Naruto, I'm warning you right now, If you break her heart, I break your neck. Got it?

Naruto: (Gulp!) Got it.

Naruto and Neji went inside the Hyuuga mansion to the living room, where they both sat down. Hiashi Hyuuga, Neji's Uncle and Hinata's father, came in and sat down, his stare drilling into Naruto.

Hiashi: So, Naruto. You're taking my daughter on a date tonight, correct?

Naruto: Yes, s-sir.

Hiashi: What is the reason you are dating her?

Naruto: To get to know her better, sir.

Hiashi: Why?

Naruto: A friend told me that he noticed Hinata's confidence was higher when I was around, sir. I'm not sure myself if this is true.

Hiashi: Hm. You know what? This may catch you off guard, but I've noticed that as well. Every time she talks about you, her stuttering is practically nonexistent. If that's not a sign, I don't know what is. You have my blessing to date her, as long as she agrees.

Naruto: Thank you sir!

Hiashi: Do you have any thoughts of marrying her?

Naruto: Well, not currently, sir.

Hiashi: If you do, and if she is also willing, your intentions must be honorable until you both are of age. In other words, "Keep it in your pants".

Naruto: Understood, sir.

Hiashi: There are consequences to your actions, and depending on your actions, they can be good or bad. Thus, if your intentions are less than honorable...

Hiashi pulled out a butterfly knife and unfolded it until it was ready for use, and pointed it Naruto.

Hiashi:...I will castrate you. So Keep it clean, got it?

Naruto: Y-yes, sir!

Hiashi: Good. I'm glad we've come to an understanding. One more thing. You have until 10:00 to bring her back here. No funny buisness, ok?

Just then, Hinata came down the stairs. Hiashi quickly put away the butterfly knife out of view.

Hinata: Good evening Naruto-kun! You look handsome tonight!

Naruto: Good Evening to you, Hinata-chan. You look great as well. Now I believe these are for you.

Naruto picked up the box of chocolates and the bouquet of roses he brought and gave them to Hinata. Hinata blushed when she saw the colors of the roses, as she knew that the symbology was.

Hinata: Oh, Naruto-kun! You didn't have to! The flowers are so beautiful! Let me drop these off in the kitchen, and we can go.

After Hinata dropped her presents off in the kitchen, she hooked her arm around Naruto's and they walked out to his car. Naruto looked back as they went out the door to see Hiashi smirking at him, a sign of approval. Naruto focused his attention ahead of them, and Naruto pulled out his keys and deactivated the alarm system. Hinata was in awe of his car.

Hinata: Sugoi! Naruto-kun, is that car yours? It must've cost a lot!

Naruto: It IS my car, Hinata-chan, but it was given to me as a gift from a friend.

Hinata: It looks so awesome, Naruto!

Naruto: Check this out, then.

Naruto's thumb found its way to a section of the remote that had symbols for a car door marked 1,2, and 3. He pressed 1, and motors and servos mounted in the doors lifted the doors vertically, Lamborghini style. Hinata was amazed.

Hinata: Whoa! What other surprises does this thing have?

Naruto: The engine is a twincharged 302 horsepower monster, plus, there's a hundred horsepower's worth of nitrous oxide in the back. I can install the factory seats, which are tucked away in the trunk, in place of the racing seats I have equipped at the moment, I can plug Foxman into the car entertainment system for GPS navigation, and the entertainment system includes a 1000 watt speaker system hooked up to a Pioneer radio with an in-dash 3-disc CD changer, MP3 Player connectivity, and a plethora of audio settings ranging from a rock concert to an opera hall.

Naruto and Hinata then got into the eight-six and drove off to Bennigans, where they met Jake and Ino. Needless to Say, Naruto and Hinata were worried about Jake's injuries.

Hinata: Jake, are you all right?

Naruto: Yeah, what happened to you, dude?

Jake: I got into a slugfest with some villagers because they hated the fact I made your life easier by giving you a car. God knows why. So I got back at them by making them taste the chrome from a tire iron I had in the repair shop.

Naruto: Tch, what's going on? Have the villagers lost all respect for foreigners?

Minutes later, when the four were in the restaurant, Naruto and Hinata sat quietly at their booth seat as they ate dinner. Naruto noticed a little bit of Ketchup on Hinata's cheek.

Naruto: Hinata-chan, you have something on your cheek! Here, let me get that for you.

Naruto took his own napkin and wiped the bit of ketchup off of his date's face.

Naruto: There you go!

Naruto smiled at Hinata, his eyes closed, having been happy to help.

Hinata: Th-Thank you, Naruto-kun.

Hinata felt she could die happy at the moment. Her crush had done something so... affectionate for her!

Meanwhile, Jake and Ino were three tables away, commenting on Naruto and Hinata's date.

Jake: Things seem to be going well.

Ino: I agree... Would you say the same about us?

Jake: Of course, honey! And It's only about to get better!

Ino: What do you mean?

Jake: Close your eyes and hold out your hands.

Ino did as she was told. Jake pulled out a long, thin black box and placed it in Ino's hands.

Jake: You can open your eyes now, Ino-chan.

Ino was surprised to find the present in her hands.

Ino: Jake, what's in here?

Jake: Go ahead and open it.

Ino slowly opened the box and when she saw what was inside, tears of joy began to well up in her eyes.

Ino: Oh my god! Jake, you didn't have to!

Ino opened the box completely to reveal a Custom-made platinum necklace encrusted in various places with 24-carat diamonds. Attached to the necklace was a key with jewels cut, shaped, and placed in just the right way to form the Nissan Logo, the key itself made of platinum and silver.

Ino: Jake, does this mean...

Jake: Yes it does, Ino. We're moving up another step in our relationship. I'll teach you how to drive, and then you can use my car whenever you want. Of course, I'll be building a car just for you.

Ino hugged Jake and hissed him on the cheek, Jake blushing under her hold on him.

Ino: Oh, Thank you, Jake! You are the sweetest boy I've ever known!

Jake: Aw, Ino, It's just the way I was raised.

Ino: Your parents should be very proud of you, then.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, Jake's parents, Maria and Benjamin Harrelson, wer sitting comfortably, reading, when they sneezed.

Maria Harrelson: Hmm, I wonder if our son is talking about us, dear?

Benjamin Harrelson: Maybe.

Back in Konoha, the two couples had just finished dinner and bid the other couple goodbye for the night. As they drove home, they discussed Friday night's cosplay party.

Naruto: So, Hinata. Who are you cosplaying as for tomorrow's party?

Hinata: W-well, I'm going as Faye Valentine from Cowboy Bebop, as long as Neji also cosplays. How about you?

Naruto: I'm going as Vash from Trigun. I even ordered the model revolver, sunglasses, gloves, boots, and the sunglasses. With some hair gel, I'm ready to go!

Meanwhile, In Jake's car...

Ino: I plan to go as Winry from Full Metal Alchemist. What about you, Jake?

Jake: I plan to go as Big Boss from Metal Gear Solid 3. It'll be hilarious! Netto and I can act out that scene from Star Wars where Luke finds out Darth Vader is his father. It clicks together completely!

Back to Naruto and Hinata, They had just stopped at Hinata's place and bid each other goodbye.

Hinata: I had a great time tonight, Naruto-kun. I'll call you sometime after the Cosplay party when I'm ready to start going out steady with you.

Naruto: Arigato, Hinata-chan. I'll be awaiting your call.

As Hinata went inside, Naruto lingered a little while longer, and then drove off into the night, the sound of his twincharged engine announcing his exit.

To Be continued...

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I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Slight cliff hanger here: Will Hinata call Naruto back, or will his heart be broken? Find out in Later chapters. By the way, in the next couple of chapters, Team 7 will finally get their first real mission: Escort Tazuna the bridge builder to the wave country. And now, a preview of the Next Chapter, Guns and Cosplay.

Preview for chapter 9: Guns and Cosplay.

At the firing Range Jake had set up, Airsoft Guns that Jake had transformed into real firearms were assigned to each member of Team 7, who all had ear protectors on. Kakashi got an M40A1 Sniper rifle and a Suppressed HK Mk23 SOCOM pistol, since he valued stealth and Accuracy, Sakura Got an FN P90 Personal Defense Weapon and a Glock 18 Machine pistol with 33-round Magazine since she stayed back while Sasuke and Naruto Attacked, Naruto got an M4A1 Assault Rifle and a Kimber M1911 Custom pistol since he liked to get in on the action, as did Sasuke, who had an HK G36C Assault Rifle and a Browning Hi-power pistol, Netto got an AKS-74U and an HK USP Pistol with Laser Aiming Module, Meiru got her IMI favorites, a Mini-Uzi Folding Stock Submachine gun, and a .50 Action Express Desert Eagle Handgun, and Jake had an MP5SD6 as well as two STI M1911A1 .45 caliber Pistols.

Sasuke focused on his target and imagined it was his brother, Itachi, who had slain the entire clan except for him. Sasuke lined up the sights on his G36 at the head area of the silhouette target.

Sasuke/Bastard... let's see how you can use your Mangekyou Sharingan after I've shot you eyes out./

Sasuke tapped the trigger twice, and two 5.56mm holes appeared where the target's eyes would have been. Not satisfied, Sasuke flipped the fire selector to full auto. He let out a roar of rage and held down the trigger as he tore the target to pieces. When the magazine was empty, nothing was left of the target's head.

Sasuke: Brother, I hope that wherever you are, I can always count on you to bring a knife to a gun fight. Then, I can truly kill you.

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Please review! BTW: Naruto, Neji, Sasuke, and Kiba form a band just for the party in the next chapter, and Sasuke, as the lead vocalist, will be singing 'Viva Las Vegas' by The Dead Kennedys! It'll be great!


	10. 9: Guns and Cosplay

Chapter 9: Guns and cosplay

It was nighttime in Konoha, and everyone in Team 7's cabin was sound asleep. Well, mostly everyone. Jake was tossing and turning in his sleep, dreaming about that one horrible night that changed his life forever.

Jake's dream

Jake was walking home on his usual route from school. Unfortunately, he had the bad luck of walking in on a gang shootout. He attempted to slink by, but he forgot the fact that the human eye is attracted by movement. A gang member armed with a MAC-10 jumped out of the car he was part of a drive-by in. Jake ran for his life, and as he ducked into an alley, he suddenly felt a white-hot stinging sensation in his chest. He put his hand to his chest, and when he pulled it away, he saw two spots of blood. He fell to his knees, struggled to get up, and tried to limp out of the alley. He heard the sound of rapid footsteps, and when he turned around, he saw a figure in the distance. A flash of fire emenated from the figure, and Jake suddenly lost his footing and fell to the ground. He tried to crawl further, only to be met with another shot to his back, the bullet piercing his lung this time. Jake was completely immobilized at this point, blood trickling out the corners of his mouth. He could only watch in horror as the gangster walked right up to him, smiled, revealing his yellow teeth, and pulled the trigger one last time.

End of dream

Jake: NO!

Jake shot up to a sitting position in a cold sweat on his bed, the Beretta M92FS under his pillow, which he bought as an Airsoft gun and transformed via Henge no Jutsu into a real gun was in his hand, cocked and ready to fire. When he saw that there was no immediate danger threatening his or his teammates' lives, he decocked the gun and safed it, putting it back under his pillow. That was the second time this month he relived about the day he died, and it always rattled him. The demon living inside him that kept him alive woke up and spoke to him as Jake stepped out onto the porch

Jake's Inner Demon: Bad dreams, kid?

Jake: Yeah. My favorite one, too. I keep replaying my death over and over again. It's always unnerving each time.

Suddenly, Jake vomited blood onto the ground outside the cabin. It very much wasn't a good sign.

Jake: Damn. If I vomited blood, that means my body is beginning to deteriorate.

Jake's Inner Demon: You know what that means, kid. You need to start killing again.

Jake: How am I gonna do that? I can't sense anyone in this village evil enough to kill who doesn't have a loving family.

Jake's Inner Demon: Yeah, that's definitely a problem. And I sure as hell don't know how to solve that.

In the morning, Team 7 set off for the Shop once again, this time, to finish the race track. Once again, Naruto's Kage Bunshins allowed the job to be done quickly. Thus, Jake put the team through some impromptu firearms training for future missions, where he would be supplying them with guns.

Their individual weapons were picked based on their specialty. Since Sasuke, for example, liked to get close and personal, he was given an HK G36C Folding stock assault rifle. He frowned, however, when he saw only 30 rounds in the regular magazines. With much persistence, he managed to obtain a 100-round Beta-C drum magazine from Jake, in addition to the 30 Round magazines he already had. As soon as everyone's ear protection was on, they all opened fire on their silhouette targets. Sasuke, however, willed himself into thinking his silhouette target was Itachi, whom he despised so much. He fired a round into the head area of the target, the result being a neat hole where Itachi's nose bridge would have been. Sasuke would have been able to kill him in one shot. One shot was too soon for Sasuke, however, and he craved more destruction. He ejected the 30-round magazine and smacked the 100-round drum mag into place. He cocked the automatic assault rifle, an unused round from the previous magazine flying out of the ejection port. He clicked the fire selector to full-auto and lined up the ring sight in the front with the center mass of the target.

Sasuke/With this wonderful weapon in my hands, I will be able to kill you, Itachi-teme, not 30 times, but a hundred times over. Now eat lead, you clan-slaying bastard child/

Sasuke ripped away at the center mass of the silhouette with his Assault rifle turned squad automatic weapon, letting out a ferocious roar of rage as he did.

Sasuke: RAAARGH! DROWN IN AN OCEAN OF LEAD, YOU SON-OF-A-BITCH!

Just as suddenly as the stream of lead started, it stopped with a locking sound emenating from the chamber as the last shell casing flew out. There was a small pile of casings laying at Sasuke's feet. Though his target was practically split in half, the top part threatening to fall to the ground, Sasuke quickly snatched up the customized .45 caliber M1911A1 pistol on his table and drilled the entire 10-round magazine into the head area of the target before the top half popped off and fell to the ground. Jake shouted the order to cease fire, and everyone immediately ejected their magazines, cleared the chambers on their weapons, and set their guns down. Jake inspected each person's target results. Jake first stopped at Kakashi's station. Kakashi focused on the head area, where he used his bullets to draw a smiley face on his target.

Jake: Awesome sniper work, Kakashi-sensei! You gave your target a face to die with!

Kakashi: Heh, I was just bored, is all.

Jake then looked at Sakura's target. She apparently used the 5.7mm bullets from her assigned weapon, a P90 Personal Defense Weapon, to put three round groupings in the Hands, Elbows, and shoulders of her target before using the rest of the rounds to create large holes in the chest and head areas.

Jake: Nicely done, Sakura! Disable the limbs first, then go in for the kill.

Sakura: Since I'm studying to be a medic-nin, I know where the most crucial points for offensive and defensive attacks are, and disable them first, leaving them defenseless. If I had more rounds, and if the target were more lifelike, I would have put a round into each finger.

Jake: Wow. I must say, your shots are very accurate for your first time with a gun.

Jake then checked Naruto's target. Naruto's target had a few clusters from his M4A1 assault rifle worthy of being called groupings, but the rest of the rounds were sporadic, but not without at least one or two rounds in the vital areas.

Jake: Hmm, not bad for your first time, Naruto. But try to anticipate recoil until you're used to it, and exercise more shot control.

Naruto: Thanks, Jake! I'll try to put in more range time if I'm not on a mission or training.

Jake then checked Meiru's target, which had a straight row of holes in the center from her 9mm Mini-UZI submachine gun going from bottom to top, plus some large holes from the .50AE Desert Eagle she had, made by the same people who made the UZI.

Jake: It was very smart of you to take advantage of the UZI's recoil, Meiru-chan. I see you also took the time to make some holes with your hand cannon.

Meiru: Thanks!

Jake then checked Netto's target, which had tightly packed clusters of holes in the dead center of both the head area and chest area of the target. Jake noticed the slide on Netto's USP with Laser Aiming Module was locked back, and surrounding it were three empty magazines with more than a fewshell casings surrounding them, while Netto's primary weapon, an AK47, lay practically untouched, not a single 7.62mm shell in sight.

Jake: So, Netto. I noticed you're favoring your pistol over the AK. Why?

Netto: I'm more used to the recoil, sir.

Jake: Ok, a pistol's fine and dandy in battle, but remember, it doesn't have as much stopping power as an assault rifle or submachine gun would. Try to increase your proficiency with a two-handed firearm, ok?

Netto: Sure.

Jake then checked Sasuke's target, which had practically been obliterated thanks to the Beta-C drum magazine he used. Also, Jake noticed some .45 caliber holes in the top half of the target that had fallen to the ground.

Jake: Well, If I were to give Sasuke an award right now, it would be for the 'Most Decimated Target in all of Konohagakure'.

At this, the team laughed a bit, and even Sasuke looked rather pleased with his work. If it was Itachi he had just emptied all those rounds on, no forensic detective in the world would be able to identify the body easily, if at all. Thus, Jake dismissed the rest of the team and promptly paid them $5,000 Dollars each for their work. Sasuke, however stayed behind to help Jake complete the Skyline that was soon to be his. As they wrenched away on the car, Jake discussed Sasuke's behavior on the firing range.

Jake: Sasuke, though I am impressed at what you did to the target, I am rather appalled that your emotions took control of you behind the trigger of that gun. In combat, you must throw away all emotion, beneficial or not, as well as politics of the situation as soon as your enemy engages you. You cannot afford to kill one person as an act of vengance and then hesitate to kill another because you're worried that he has a loving family. Remember, it's better the other guy is dead than you.

Sasuke was rather annoyed that he was being lectured by a teammate.

Sasuke: I already know this, Jake.

Jake: Then why didn't you follow that?

Sasuke: I wanted a reason for myself to truly get involved with this training. Putting holes into a paper target is boring in itself, but I find it more interesting if I put a scenario to it in my head.

Jake: Fine. I'll let it slide this time, but don't do it if you can help it.

When it turned 6:00, Jake called it quits for the night. They had an hour to get into their costumes before the cosplay party at the Hyuuga mansion. Meanwhile, in terms of Sasuke's Nissan Skyline R34, they had completed it up to its stock form, now they had to tune it up and trick it out.

Jake: I'm gonna go get changed for the party. You coming?

Sasuke: I guess. I can't afford not to show my face, or Neji might call me a wuss for turning down the invitation.

Jake: I'm going as Big Boss from MGS3. You?

Sasuke: Vincent Valentine from FF 7.

Jake: Good. His personality suits you, Mr. Broody.

Sasuke just sighed in exasperation and walked to the car.

Jake: Well, let's get back to the cabin.

An hour later, Jake and Naruto arrived at the Hyuuga compound, where Team 7's cars were parked outside. Jake and Sasuke went to the front door, where they were greeted by Hinata, who was in a Faye Valentine outfit.

Hinata: Oh, good! You guys are just in time!

Jake: You look great tonight, Hinata-chan.

Hinata: Um, Th-thank you. The rest of your team is over by the snack table.

Just then, Jake noticed Shino and Kiba come in, Shino dressed as Spike Spiegel, and Kiba and Akamaru as Ed and Ein.

Jake: Did you decide your theme with your teammates?

Hinata: Mm-hmm! Though I can't say the same for Neji-nii-san and his team. They all have totally different costumes.

And indeed they did. TenTen cosplayed as Chun Li from Street Fighter, since everyone noticed her resemblance, Rock Lee went as Monkey D.Luffy from One Piece because he was so damn spontaneous and energetic, Chopper Lee went as Sora, Keyblade and all, and his friends Rachel Wagner and Boomer Wiley went as Kairi and Riku, in that order. However, Neji's cosplay was what many thought to be the best, cutest, and funniest of them all.

Neji Hyuuga was... Inuyasha.

Many of the boys had difficulty concealing their amusement at seeing the Hyuuga branch house member dressed in a red robe, carrying a big sword, having white-grey hair, and the funniest part, sporting a pair of dog ears. Many of the girls fawned over him because of this, and Neji was having slight difficulty concealing his embarrassment. He thought back to how it all started.

Neji's Flashback

Neji: Demo, Hiashi-oji-san! I'd really rather not get into some silly costume for tonight. I really don't want to.

Hiashi: But your cousin volunteered to host this party, and she has my permission to wear the costume she decided, as long as you watch over her. That means you will have to fit in with the theme of tonight's gathering. That's it. End of discussion.

Neji was rather flustered that he'd gotten slapped down.

Neji: Aw, jeez. I'm royally screwed for the night.

End Flashback

And thus, that was how Neji ended up in his current situation. Of course, that didn't mean he couldn't have fun. He walked over to Sasuke with the intent of issuing a challenge.

Neji: Hey, Uchiha. Enjoying the party?

Sasuke: What do you think, Hyuuga? Parties aren't my thing.

Neji: Well, are you up for a dare?

Sasuke: Bring it on.

Neji: I dare you to knock back 10 shots of Sake.

Sasuke: Hmm, it's better that I don't take any alcohol...

Neji: What's the matter? Are the Uchihas cowards when it comes to alcohol?

Sasuke: You know what? Screw you! An Uchiha does not back down to a Hyuuga!

Just to prove his point, Sasuke grabbed a shot glass and a bottle of Sake and started knocking back shots, 5 seconds between each shot to pour Sake into the glass. By the time Sasuke knocked back the tenth shot of Sake, he was slightly buzzed, with some of his inhibitions taken away. A few 'drunk bubbles' appeared around his head and popped, only to be replaced by more 'drunk bubbles'. All in all, Sasuke wasn't drunk enough for his speech to be insanely slurred, but he was buzzed enough to do things that he normally wouldn't do. He wasn't his usual moody self, but rather, he was more cheerful when he was drunk. A slightly mischievous smile crossed his face. He walked up to Neji to issue a dare of his own.

Sasuke: Heeeyyyy, Neji... Whaddaya say we get up on stage and um, perform a lil' song for everyone here, huh? C'mon, I dare ya.

Sasuke looked around the room and picked out two others to complete his performance.

Sasuke: Yeah, I dare you, and you, and you to come on up with me.

Sasuke pointed at Neji, Kiba and Akamaru, and Naruto and asked them to come up with him on stage.

Sasuke: Hey, do you guys know how to play? They gots all the instruments we needs.(remember, Sasuke's slightly drunk, so the misspelling is intentional.)

Kiba: I do.

Naruto: Same here. Iruka-sensei taught me once.

Neji: I had to take some sort of music class, so yeah.

Sasuke: And I know how to play bass. Here's the plan, guys. We will be playing The Dead Kennedy's cover of Viva Las Vegas. Thus, Kiba, yer on the drums, Naruto and Neji, you guys are on guitar, and I'm on Bass. Agreed?

Neji, Naruto, Kiba: Agreed.

Sasuke: All Right. Let's run this baby.

As the small impromptu band began setting up, Team Asuma walked in, and they decided to go as cast members from the anime and video game 'Gungrave'. Ino went as Maria Asagi, Chouji was Bob Poundmax, Shikamaru went as the smartly-besuited Brandon Heat, complete with twin handguns, and surprisingly, Asuma showed up as Bear Walken, complete with orange tinted, mirrored sunglasses. Asuma spent the time in making his costume, even going so far as to dye his hair silver-grey. Shikamaru and Chouji went their separate ways while Ino went over to Team 7. She hugged and kissed Jake, and then talked to Sakura, who was cosplaying as Shuichi Shindou from Gravitation.

Ino: What's going on, Sakura?

Sakura: Sasuke-kun was dared by Neji to knock back 10 shots of Sake. After getting a little buzzed, Sasuke-kun dared Naruto, Kiba, and Neji to come up on stage with him so that they could perform a song. They're setting up to play Viva Las Vegas.

Ino: Oh, boys and their pride. Well, this should be good.

Sasuke and his small band were finally set up. Sasuke spoke into the mike.

Sasuke: Good evening everyone, and welcome to tonight's cosplay party! Tonight, my friends and I are gonna perform a song for you guys tonight, and we hope you like The Dead Kennedys, because we kick off the night with Viva Las Vegas. Take it away, Kiba!

Kiba began drumming away the main beat of the song. Sasuke soon joined in with the main bass riff of the song, and after a few seconds, nodded to Naruto, who began playing his riff, and after that, Neji joined in with his guitar. After a few seconds of playing, Sasuke leaned into his microphone as he played the bass guitar to start singing.

Sasuke: Twilight City gonna set my soul,

It's gonna set my soul on fire!

Got a whole lot of money that's ready to burn,

So get those stakes up high!

There's a thousand pretty women waiting out there,

They're all waiting, they'll never make air.

And I'm just the devil with a lung to spare, so

Neji, Naruto and Sasuke: Viva Las Vegas!

(Naruto's Guitar Solo)

Viva Las Vegas!

(Neji's Guitar Solo)

Viva Las Vegas!

(Main riff continues)

Sasuke: How I wish that there were more

Than the 24 hours in the day,

Even if I ran out of speed, boy,

I wouldn't sleep a minute of the way!

Oh, that blackjack and poker and the roulette wheel,

I'll poach your money lost on every deal.

All you need is sonar and nerves of steel, so

Neji, Naruto, Sasuke: Viva Las Vegas!

(Naruto's Guitar)

Viva Las Vegas!

(Neji's Guitar)

Viva Las Vegas!

(Main Riff)

Sasuke: Viva Las Vegas,

Where the neon signs flash your name.

The one-arm bandits cash in,

All soap's down the drain!

Viva Las Vegas,

Turning day into nighttime,

Turning night into daytime,

If you see it once,

You'll never be the same again!

Gotta keep on running,

Gonna have me some money,

If it costs me my very last dime.

If I wind up broke,

Then I'll always remember that,

I had a swingin' time!

Oh, I'm gonna give it everything I've go,.

Lady Luck's with me, the dice stay hot.

Got coke up my nose to dry away the snot, so

Neji, Naruto, Sasuke: Viva Las Vegas!

(Naruto's Guitar)

Viva Las Vegas!

(Neji's Guitar)

Viva Las Vegas!

(Main Riff, Final)

Viva, viva, Las Vegaaaaaassss! Whoo!

After playing a little bit more, the small band on stage finished the song, gaining a large round of applause from those who attended the party. Kakashi, who had simply wore all black, took off his forehead protector, and added some armor knee and elbow pads to cosplay as Rikimaru from Tenchu: Stealth Assassins, commented on Sasuke's behavior.

Kakashi: Looks like Sasuke's having a good time. Now if only he'd be this way at least sometimes when he's sober...

The Cosplay party lasted into the night, and soon it was 10:00. Everyone went home, Jake driving Sasuke home, knowing that Sasuke would end up with at least a hangover in the morning.

To Be Continued...

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I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter! Please Review, and Check out the preview below for the next chapter, Team 7's First Mission!

Preview for chapter 10: Team 7's First Mission

In this Next Chapter, the six genin team go to escort bridge builder Tazuna to the Country of Wave. Since they are the first team to use modern weaponry, they will have an advantage over enemy ninja, but how will they hold out when they find out they were really being hired for an A-rank mission instead of a C-rank mission? Finally, Jake turns some of the equipment from Metal Gear Solid into reality and employs them as he goes head to head with Momochi Zabuza. Jake has the chance to send his soul to hell, but will that change if he is part of something much bigger? Find out in the next chapter!


	11. 10: Team 7's First Mission

Chapter 10: Team 7's First Mission

A few days after the cosplay party, most of Team 7's time was spent in training and the like. Sasuke and Jake were making great progress on Sasuke's R34 Skyline. But now, it was four in the morning, and all of Team 7 was asleep, except for one. Jake was out of his bed and in the woods a little distance away from the cabin, testing some special equipment he'd brought with him and failed to mention to Netto and Meiru. Jake knew that his resources would be limited here, and so brought extra material and tools for what he was working on, aside from the Go-karts he had recently started building. Jake was currently running around in the woods unseen, and if one was right next to him, he still couldn't be seen. Why? Jake had created a wearable optical camouflage generator, which he had clipped to his belt and switched on.With the help of Nanotechnology that he had programmed himself, (After all, he was asked to take the SAT test by John Hopkins Center for Talented Youth a long time ago back in Ameroupe, and he recieved 1600, a perfect score.) he found a way to make a camera hooked up to a projector small enough to project an image a thousand times all over his body in screens supplied by other Nanomachines dedicated to a particular job, whether it is capturing an image, or broadcasting it. Jake still had a few bugs to work out however, since he only had one Nanobot camera, which was mounted in the front of his body. This presented a problem. In a room where it is all white with the exception of one black wall, Jake would turn completely black if he was facing the black wall, thus, he would stick out like a sore thumb. However, if he used it in the woods, with a similar image seen no matter where you looked, Jake's optic camouflage worked perfectly.

Back to the present, Jake had turned off his optic camouflage and retrieved the footage of his test from a camera he mounted to a tree. After viewing the footage, he made an adjustment to the camouflage generator(which works by covering the wearer in nanobots on top of his or her clothes) by adding a toggle switch that switched between a stored image captured by the camera and a live feed from the camera that was broadcast to microscreen-equipped nanobots.

Next, Jake put on a sneaking suit, again, inspired from the Metal Gear Solid videogame series, that was designed to reduce battle damage by 75, assist in healing injuries, and quiet movement noise. Jake tested this by setting off and letting a projectile trap hit him, running past an area with a highly sensitive directional microphone that tracked movement through sound, and standing in front of a baseball launcher that shot baseballs out at 90 M.P.H. The results were promising. The Kunai and Shuriken from the trap didn't even poke his skin because of the Kevlar and Titanium woven thread in the suit, the Directional microphone only moved about a centimeter off its original position because not much sound was picked up, and the stinging sensations he got from each fastball lasted for about three seconds because the suit helped blood flow back into the affected area, negating the pain.

Finally, Jake put on an experimental elecetronic eyepatch inspired by the Solid Eye System that Solid Snake wears in Metal Gear Solid 4.He put on the eyepatch and booted it up, and had it target a weapon he had layed onto a table. You couldn't really tell anything with the naked eye, but the eyepatch ran a diagnostic on the simple pistol and automatically revealed that it was a Beretta M92FS serial number 245679, 200 rounds had been fired through the gun, it was loaded, and that the magazine had 14 out of 15 9mm 200-grain hollowpoint cartridges. Next, he tested its tracking abilities by throwing a clay piegon into the air and having his eyepatch lock onto it. Jake was informed by the eyepatch that the Clay piegon, or skeet, was moving at 20 M.P.H and heading north by Northwest. Finally, Jake tested the eyepatch's resistance to genjutsu by conjuring up a simple illusion that looked so real, which was a bustling city in front of his right eye, but the eyepatch showed the woods he was really surrounded in. He also briefly tested the night vision and thermal imaging capabilities of the eyepatch before putting it away. All in all, Jake had spent two hours training with his experimental equipment. He then gathered up his things and went back to the cabin, forgetting to take off his sneaking suit. He arrived just as everyone was waking up and proceeding to eat breakfast, noticing that Kakashi was nowhere to be found.

Jake: Mornin', guys. Where's Kakashi-sensei?

Sakura was the first to notice Jake's arrival.

Sakura: Morning, Jake. Kakashi-sensei went out to get C-ranked mission orders. He told us to meet him at our usual spot with necessary items for escorting a person to a nearby town about a day's walk from here.

Netto and Meiru came out of bed and heard that they were going to be escorting someone, and remembering what Jake had taught them in the past during Net Savior missions, went to their bags and suitcases and pulled out what seemed to be camouflage uniforms of some sort, but they didn't put them on yet.

Netto: (Half asleep) Meh, I'll put it on after breakfast.

Soon, all six Genin in Team 7 were seated at the breakfast table, loading up on food they would need for a day's worth of energy. Naruto was the first to point out Jake's sneaking suit, which hadn't been taken off yet.

Naruto: Hey, Jake. What's with the cool-looking threads?

Jake: Oh, this? This is the prototype of a sneaking suit I created and am testing for covert operations.

Immediately, Sasuke's eyebrow arched at the phrase 'Covert Operations'. He looked at Jake's suit and thought subconsciously that he'd look pretty badass in it.

Sakura: My curiosity's been piqued. What can it do?

Jake: I tested it today, and I found out it can reduce battle damage by 75 to 90 percent, reduce movement noise by 95 percent, and assist in healing injuries, thus, it met what I was gunning for.

Naruto: What! It met those high standards? Man, if you mass-produced that, I'm sure the ANBU would be willing to pay whatever you charge for it!

Jake: If you think that's interesting, you should check out the other stuff I've been developing. maybe during the mission, you'll all get to see its abilities firsthand.

Sakura: I doubt it. C-ranked missions aren't usually that dangerous.

Netto: Well, in either case, Meiru-chan and I aren't taking any chances. That's why we're busting out all our battle gear. If anything, Jake can supply our weapons.

Sakura: You guys are serious about this, aren't you? I could've sworn I saw you guys busting out Camouflage uniforms.

Jake: I crafted those myself. MULTICAM all the way, baby! Those uniforms actually have zip-off sleeves and legs in case a person wants to stay cool.

Naruto: What's MULTICAM?

Jake: It's a type of computer-generated Camouflage scheme that provides excellent cover in multiple environments. Hence, the name.

Naruto: Oh.

The rest of the morning was relatively uneventful, and soon, everyone packed their gear for the mission. Team 7 went to the meeting place, which was the bridge over the creek that ran through Konoha. Jake still had his sneaking suit on, while Netto and Meiru were dressed in their MULTICAM uniforms, minus the Pant Legs and Jacket Sleeves for now, basically leaving them in camouflage shirt and shorts. The three netbattlers packed other supplies such as water, which they had in their Hydration packs, and MRE's, or Meals Ready to Eat. Though they were newcomers, they would not let their team go hungry, and thus packed as many as they could fit, in conjunction with their sleeping supplies.

As the team waited for their sensei, Jake got bored and decided to summon the weapons they might need for the mission. So, Jak drew blood from his thumb, spread it on his palm, and did the signs for the summoning technique. When his hands glowed with Chakra, signifying the seal was ready, he placed a bullet in the blood on his hand and slammed it down on the ground.

Jake: **_ Kuchiyose No Jutsu!_**

In a cloud of smoke, 7 tactical vests loaded with weapons and ammunition appeared in front of him. The weapons Jake summoned were the same as the ones everyone had used at the range, with the exception of Kakashi's vest, which was equipped with a customized Ingram MAC-10 that included a silencer, foregrip, and an open red dot sight instead of an M40A1 Sniper rifle. Anyway, Sakura got her P90 and a Glock 18, Naruto got his M4A1 as well as a Beretta M92FS, Meiru got her usual Mini-UZI and Desert Eagle .50AE, Netto got an AKS-74U 5.45mm Assault Carbine along with a 75-round RPK-style drum magazine and an HK USP, Sasuke got his G36C, which included the 100-round Beta-C drum magazine and a Bipod, as well as a Kimber M1911A1 .45 caliber pistol, and Jake got his favorites, an MP5A5 submachine gun and two STI custom M1911A1 pistols.

Jake: All right, guys. You are responsible for the vest and weapons as well as the spare magazines you have. Try to remember that when reloading, place your empty magazine in place of the spare one you used. That way, I don't have to spend so much money on spare mags, which aren't exactly cheap.

Just then, Kakashi appeared in a puff of smoke. Before he could be yelled at, The vest Jake was saving for him was thrown at him.

Jake: Please put that on, Kakashi-sensei. It's our first escort mission, and I'm not taking any chances.

Neither are Netto-kun and Meiru-chan.

Kakashi: Fine. Anyway, Our mission is to escort an old bridge builder named Tazuna to a town that has a ferry to the Wave Country and protect him from any bandits. He says he knows the way, so we follow his instructions. He's waiting at the village gates right now, so we should be off. By the way, Jake, Nice clothes.

Jake: Thanks! I thought this mission would be the perfect chance to test out my experimental sneaking suit. It can reduce battle damage by 75 to 90 percent, eliminate movement noise by 95 percent, and is specially constructed to help heal any injuries to the wearer, from bruises to bleeding.

Kakashi: Wow. I sure wish I had one of those back in my ANBU days.

When Team 7 finally got to the village gates, they exchanged pleasantries with Tazuna before they set off. When they were a good distance away from the village, Tazuna made a confession.

Tazuna: I apologize for what I am about to say, Kakashi-san. But you and your students are escorting me further than a nearby town, which doesn't actually exist. We're actually going all the way to Wave Country.

Tazuna fell to his knees and began to cry.

Tazuna: I'm so sorry! My village needs me back in one piece, but we could only afford enough for a C-rank mission!

Team 7 was mostly silent. They were just misled, after all. Finally, Jake broke the silence.

Jake: It's all right, Tazuna-san. We won't turn our backs on you.

Jake then pulled out his PET, accessed his bank account, and did a transaction.

Jake: There. Now the mission fee is truly in balance with the real rank. I covered the rest of the cost, Tazuna-san. You don't owe me anything.

Tazuna stopped crying and stood up, wiping away his tears. He smiled at Jake sincerely and bowed in respect.

Tazuna: Thank you, young man. You have helped both me and my village.

Jake: You're welcome, Tazuna-san. Now, we better keep moving.

As Team 7 moved through the forest, they noticed an incoming fog was forming, and it was beginning to get somewhat difficult to see. Jake slipped on his eyepatch and turned it on. It worked well, making seeing in the thick fog much clearer. Jake's eyepatch suddenly locked on to a glint of steel coming their way really fast.

Jake: Everyone! Get down!

Team 7 and Tazuna got flat on the ground. It was a good thing too, since the piece of steel turned out to be a huge broadsword that lodged itself in the tree behind them. A voice suddenly spoke out of nowhere.

Voice: Are you guys leaf ninja? Well sorry to interrupt your mission, but the old man comes with me.

Jake's eyepatch saw through the mist and found a shirtless, bandage covered man standing on top of the sword. The targeting system locked onto the face and quickly matched it against faces from the Bingo book, finding a correct match.

Jake: Well, I'll be damned. Momochi Zabuza...

Zabuza: So, they let foreigners into Konoha's Ninja ranks now? Interesting. I must be a rather infamous person at this point. This is quite a surprise.

Jake: You know what'll be even more of a surprise? The look on your face when I blast a hole through your head with my .45.

Zabuza's eyes grew wide as Jake pulled the trigger, Zabuza jumping out of the way just in time.

Zabuza: Damn! Even the Genins don't mess around!

Zabuza jumped away into the mist along with his sword. Jake's eyepatch, however, could pinpoint his exact location.

Jake: Sasuke! Get out your G36C, the bipod, and the Beta-C mag. I need you to put down some covering fire that-a-way.

Sasuke did as he was told and began ripping away. Zabuza was barely dodging each bullet that came from the machine gun. Suddenly, the G36 Jammed, and Sasuke knew it.

Sasuke: Jake! The G36 Jammed! You're on your own!

Zabuza: Well, my foreign friend, It's just you against me and my Kyōdaina Kubikiri Hōchō.

Jake then began laughing hysterically at the translation of the weapon's name. Zabuza seemed rather confused.

Jake: Ha ha ha! Oh my GOD! You couldn't come up with a better name for that thing? I mean seriously! "Giant Decapitating Kitchen Knife"? Good god!

Zabuza was rather insulted, and smashed the sword butt into Jake's stomach. However, the bruise he sustained vanished instantly, giving Jake serious confidence, enough to taunt Zabuza with.

Jake: Pfff. My grandmother hits harder than that. Now let's get busy.

Jake swithced on his optic camouflage, leaving Zabuza dumbfounded.

Zabuza: The hell? Where did that kid go?

In the trees nearby, Zabuza's apprentice, Haku, was also having difficulty finding Jake.

Haku: Crap! I can't find that boy!

Haku suddenly heard the sounds of guns being cocked from below. He saw Netto and Meiru pointing their automatic weapons at him. Haku remembered the amount of damage one bullet did to a tree, and thus, he had no choice but to surrender. Meanwhile, Zabuza was looking around, when he felt white hot pain in his shoulders and knees. he feel to his knees, and that's when Jake turned off his stealth camouflage. Sasuke, Naruto, and Kakashi converged on Zabuza and Haku, who was being led to the same spot at gunpoint, the two students and their sensei's guns drawn. Jake put away his pistols, which he had shot Zabuza with, and zip-tie cuffed both him and Haku. Jake then rolled back his sleeves, and Team 7, as well as Haku watched in horror as Jake began to choke the life out of Zabuza using his bare hands. Jake interrogated Zabuza as he choked him, Jake's eyes turning red again.

Jake: All right, Zabuza! I know you're working for someone! I want to know who, and what their reasons are before I crush your windpipe! Answer me!

Zabuza began expending information to save his own life as he choked.

Zabuza: Gatou sent me! (Urk) He wants me to kill the old man so that he can maintain his control over Wave Country! (Choke) He promised this was going to be my last mission! After that, Haku and I could go in peace!

Suddenly, another voice called out.

Voice: Zabuza Snitched! Kill him and his buddies!

Jake just sighed exasperatedly as he whipped out his pistol and offed the large group of attackers without even looking behind him. Haku saw this, grew frightened, and fainted. Jake was not a person to be trifled with, considering his lethality when it came to guns. Jake holstered his pistol and continued to talk more with Zabuza, this time, in a pitying tone.

Jake: You poor son of a bitch. Isn't it obvious? Your success ate away at his wallet so much, that he set you up to put an end to you and your apprentice's lives! You were just expendable pawns in the game! I know about Gatou, and he's a stingy, backstabbing slimeball.

Zabuza grew furious. How could he not see it?

Zabuza: Damn it! I'm gonna kill that bastard if it's the last thing I do! If you guys are looking to off someone, look no further than Gatou and his goons. I only turned a blind eye to the suffering of the Wave Country because he waved such a big wad of cash in my face! You know what, kid? you've spared my life. The least I can do is help you guys out.

Kakashi: I don't know about that. How do I know you're not using this as a ploy to kill Tazuna?

Jake: I can delve into his soul. Watch.

Kakashi and the rest of Team 7 watched with interest as Jake's eyes flashed red once again as crosshair lines appeared around his pupils and converged until they became a whole crosshair in the center of each eye.

Jake: SNIPER EYES!

Jake's eyes locked with Zabuza, and Jake got a glimpse into the mind of Zabuza. What he found supported his opinion.

Jake: Kakashi-sensei, I can read his feelings. He's feeling betrayed right now because of what he found out, and he's looking for a way to redeem himself, for Haku's sake.

Kakashi: You better be sure about this.

Jake: I'm damn sure.

Zabuza: So, what's the verdict?

Jake looked to Kakashi, who nodded approvingly.

Jake: You and Haku are on our team now, Zabuza-san. Just remember to play by our rules, and we'll see to it that you are looked after.

Kakashi: Who knows, maybe I can pull some strings to let you become part of our ranks, and that way, you won't be constantly hounded by hunter-nin out for your heads.

Zabuza then turned to Kakashi and bowed.

Zabuza: If that happens, then thank you, Kakashi-san. I will be deeply inbebted to you. Haku will too, but I have to know if he is ok with it.

Haku then woke up.

Haku: Zabuza-san, what happened? I know Gatou set us up, but why aren't we dead yet? I could've sworn the Leaf nin would have killed us by now.

Zabuza: Haku, they gave us a second chance. Do you want to move to Konoha if they allow us?

Haku: Yes, Zabuza-san I'll be fine with that.

Jake: That's nice, but first, we have to pay a visit to Gatou. I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse.

Netto: Jesus, Jake! Were you ever in the mob? The way you almost killed Zabuza was pretty cold-blooded, and now you're saying you'll make this Gatou fellow an offer he can't refuse! Are you gonna give him cement shoes or something?

Jake: Maybe I was in the mob, maybe I wasn't. That's for me know and for you to find out.

And so, The small group bound for the wave country camped out for the night, getting rady to take back Wave Country from a monopolist's greedy clutches, by force if necessary.

To be Continued

----------------------------

I hope you enjoyed this chapter and review it! Also, enjoy the preview for the next chapter as well as an excerpt from the future of the story.

Preview for Chapter 11: Gatou sleeps with the fishes

As Team 7, Zabuza, Haku and Tazuna get closer to the Wave Country, Jake begins putting away the guns and pulling out the piano wire and brass knuckles in anticipation of Gatou's demise. Will he be successful, or will the tycoon keep his hold on the suffering country? Find out!

And now, a glimpse into the future of the storyline...

It had been three years since Task Force 21 was formed. Three years of gureling training, high-risk missions, and thousands of rounds both practice and live boiled down to this day, when a joyous announcement reached the high command of Task Force 21. Jake assembled the entire force, which had grown somewhat. Many of them were in their early twenties, some were married, some were on the verge. Many of them were in deep, comitted relationships within the unit. Jake knew that even if romantically involved, the men and women of his unit could still be assigned missions alongisde one another, because that love only made teamwork improve, contrary to what many had said.

When Task force 21 assembled completely, Jake read the good news.

Jake: Ladies and Gentlemen, It is with great pleasure that I announce to you an order from The Hokage herself, which I recieved this morning. It reads: "Task Force 21 has proven themselves time and time again, even in the most dire situations. With this in mind, it is with great confidence that I write this order for the men and women of Task Force 21 to deploy on the 6th of June, 2011, to the Hidden Village of Sound. Their objective is to find and eliminate the Rogue Snake Sannin, Orochimaru, as well as his forces and followers alongside a coalition of forces from the villages of Wind, Mist, Stone, and Cloud. Good luck Task Force 21! Go forth and kick some snake ass!"

At once, the members of Task Force 21 whooped and hollered at the news. They were finally going to fulfill the unit's objective. Jake calmed the troops down and made an announcement.

Jake: Since we ship out tomorrow, you all have the rest of the day and tonight on leave from the base. For those of you who have someone special, I suggest you make the most of it. You are all dismissed.

Jake saluted his unit, who saluted him in return, then, little by little, they all left to spend the rest of the time with their significant others. That night, after spending the day together, many of the couples in the unit made fierce, passionate love to each other that night, knowing full well that this might be their last time together and alive.


	12. 11: Gatou Sleeps with the fishes

Chapter 11: Gatou sleeps with the fishes

Note: The Demon Brothers will not exist in this storyline. Don't worry, there'll be plenty of bad guys for Team 7 to deal with, and for Jake and his demon to kill and devour.

After spending the night camped out in the forest, Team 7 and their new comrades continued to Wave country. Despite the fact that there was no resistance in sight, Sasuke took point with his G36C, knwing that he had the most ammunition in one magazine than everyone else. Everyone else covered the sides and rear, weapons drawn and not taking chances. Soon enough, they arrived at the border to the Wave Country. At that point, the team got a good view of the countryside.

Sakura: Wow! What a beautiful view!

Tazuna: This is just the countryside, though. I have to build the bridge inside a town, which is the main trade center of the Wave Country, and that's where I run into problems.

Jake: What sort of problems, Tazuna-san? Oh, wait. It has something to do with Gatou, doesn't it.

Tazuna: Exactly. When I'm trying to build the bridge, I'm in constant danger of being assassinated. That's why I hired you guys. Not only do I need help building the bridge, but I also need someone to cover me while doing so.

Naruto: You can count on us, then, Tazuna-san! We walk through the valley in the shadow of death fearing no evil, because us Konoha ninja are the most badass ninja in that valley!

Tazuna smiled and shook his head. Kids these days were a lot bolder.

Their spirits lifted by Naruto's remark, they continued to Tazuna's town, and they could tell the town was suffering. Houses were dilapidated, people begged in the streets, and many citizens were disheveled in appearance. They made their way across a temporary catwalk spanning the bridge before they arrived at Tazuna's home. Tazuna's home looked far better than the other homes in the area. When they entered Tazuna's home, the team safed their weapons and holstered them or at least ejected the magazines as well as cleared the chamber before entering. They were greeted by Tsunami, Tazuna's daughter.

Tsunami: Otou-san! I'm so glad to see you again! Who are your companions?

Tazuna: Tsunami! I'm glad to see you too. These folks are the ones who protected me on my way here, and they are also helping me build the bridge.

Suddenly, a third person popped into the conversation. It was Tsunami's son and Tazuna's Grandson, Inari. Inari had become pessimistic and sarcastic lately, due to the death of his father figure, Kaiza, who had been accused by Gatou of being a terrorist and was publicly executed.

Inari: Are they going to be chased off or killed like the last bunch of guys?

Tsunami: Inari! That's no way to speak of our guests!

Jake then stepped up to Inari's insult, a cheerful smile on his face as he did so.

Jake: No Worries, kid. We're better equipped to deal with thugs.

Inari: So what? Gatou's rich. He'll only buy a bigger gun than you have, and that'll be the end of it.

Jake just laughed, leaving the boy somewhat bewildered.

Jake: Kid, I know this stuff already. I have enough money squared away to buy out that power-hungry schmuck. Instead of buying him out, however, I'm just going to destroy him and his goons.

Jake then pulled out his PET and dialed a particular number. An answering machine responded to his dialing.

Answering machine: Transaction complete. Thank you for shopping Blackwater Security Weapons Company. Have a nice day!

Suddenly, everyone heard the sound of a C-130 Cargo plane buzz over them, and then a few seonds later, they heard a loud thump come from outside.

Kakashi: What the hell was that?

Team 7 rushed outside, Jake following leisurely. They looked outside to see a crate with a parachute draped over it.

Jake: Ah, good. My order has arrived.

Naruto: Your order! What the hell did you buy?

Jake: I'll get to that in a second. Now where's that crowbar...

Jake cut the parachute away to reveal the crate was labeled 'Russian Weapons Starter Kit- Extra Large'. Jake found a crowbar on the side and pried open the top of the crate.

Jake: Wonderful! Everything we need is in here.

Team 7, as well as everyone else peered inside the car-sized crate and was astonished at what they found. Inside the crate was a large number of AK-series Assault rifles, carbines, and submachine guns, RPK and PKM Machine guns, RPG launchers, SA-7 Anti-aircraft MANPADS(Man-Portable Air Defense System) launchers, and more than enough magazines, boxes, and warheads of ammunition to start a small war. Jake pulled out one of the RPG-7 launchers and loaded a rocket.

Jake: So, Inari, you say Gatou will buy a bigger gun, huh? Well, guns don't get much bigger than this. Get clear of the back end, folks! Very clear!

Everyone moved to a safe distance as Jake got down on one knee and aimed at a thicket of trees across the water. He pullled the trigger, and the rocket thundered out of the launch tube and detonated as soon as it hit a tree. The damage caused was enough to make anyone think twice about messing with An RPG-wielding Konoha Ninja: The blast was powerful eough to uproot 5 trees and create a large gash in 4 more. Inari still had the gall to be pessimistic.

Inari: So what? Weapons still won't bring Kaiza back. Kaiza was like a dad to me, until that day Gatou publicly executed him!

Naruto lost his cool at this point. He grabbed Inari by the scruff of his neck and got in the boy's face.

Naruto: You know what, Inari? I've had it with your attitude, bitching, and moaning. Be thankful you still have family and people that care about you. I lost my parents a long time ago, and much of my own village treats me like crap. So I highly suggest to you that you hold on to what you've got now, and don't let go.

Naruto put Inari down, and Inari stood there, stunned. He then quietly walked to his room. Naruto had given him a lot to think about.

Naruto: I'm sorry about that, Tazuna-san, Tsunami-san. I have a little trouble composing my anger. If you excuse me, I'll let myself out.

Tsunami: No, it's fine, Naruto-san. You can stay. I just need to talk to Inari.

Kakashi then intervened, changing the subject so that they could let Inari calm down for a while.

Kakashi: Hey, I have an Idea. Why don't we put away our stuff here, and then we'll go do a little more Chakra control training?

Jake: Sounds like a good idea. Let me put away all these guns and ammunition.

As soon as Jake hid the large crate of russian weapons and ammo, Team 7 left their packs and most of their gear, except for their tactical vests, and went off to a small clearing where there were tall trees free of any leaves.

Kakashi: All right, now that we are at a suitable location, we will begin a lesson on Chakra control and tree climbing.

Jake: Wait a tick, I remember doing this before.

Kakashi: Have you now? Well show us how high you can get on the tree.

Jake nodded, and charged his feet up with Chakra. He took one step onto the tree, then sprinted the rest of the way up, lodging his Kunai at the very top and stopping there.

Kakashi: Well, I'm impressed. Come down here and show your teammates how it's done, then.

Jake: Sure.

Jake jumped higher into the air, reaching one mile into the atmosphere, before streamlining himself and rocketing down to earth. As he approached 80 feet above ground, he pulled a ripcord mounted to a parachute on his back and released a parachute that slowed his descent. When he landed in the midst of his group, the parachute covered all 7 of them, making for a slightly humorous scene.

Kakashi: Well, that's one way to make an entrance.

After they cleared themselves of the parachute, Jake taught all of Team 7 the secrets of Chakra control and tree climbing.

Jake: Basically, you want to focus and flow enough Chakra through your feet for you to stick to the tree, but not too much so that the tree won't burn. Now that I've told you all I know, spend the rest of the time climbing the trees using the technique I taught you.

As Jake and Kakashi stood back to watch the rest of Team 7 attempt the tree climbing technique, Kakashi asked Jake about how he learned the tree climbing technique.

Kakashi: Jake, from who and where did you learn the tree climbing technique?

Jake: I can't completely reveal who, but when I was living in Akihara, I learned some pretty powerful techniques from a certain toad hermit.

Kakashi was irked. He knew he'd heard the phrase 'toad hermit' before, but he couldn't put a face to it...

Soon, the sunlight was beginning to wane, and Team 7 had managed to mark their Kunai close to the tops of the trees they practiced on. Somewhat exhausted, they all headed back to Tazuna's house for dinner. When they arrived, they sat down to a simple hot meal of Rice, Teriyaki beef, and Ramen, which Naruto was enthusiastic about. They ate quietly, until Tazuna asked a favor of them.

Tazuna: Kakashi-san, will you and your team be so kind as to keep watch while I work on my bridge? I don't have much left to complete, but it's taking longer, because I have to worry about being assassinated at any moment in addition to not having any personnel to assist me.

Kakashi: I'm sure we can help. How about you, Zabuza-san?

Zabuza: Sure. Haku and I will also help build the bridge, if just to lure out Gatou to kill him.

Kakashi: Then it's settled, Tazuna-san. What time will you need us?

Tazuna: I usually get up at 5:30 to get ready for work.

Kakashi: All right then. Team 7, listen up. We're getting up at 5:30, so don't stay up too late. This means you, Netto.

Netto: All right! I get it! I oversleep!

Then, a voice we hadn't heard in a while, Rockman, chided him.

Rockman: At least you acknowledge it, Netto-kun. Now will you do something about it?

Everyone laughed, then continued eating dinner quietly. Soon, everyone went to bed and got ready for the next day.

In the morning, Team 7 set out with Tazuna to the bridge, weapons drawn. Jake towed the crate via use of its pallete wheels to the side of the bridge that they entered from. Before they took up guard posts, Jake supplied some of the persons on Team 7 with a weapon or spare ammunition from the crate. Kakashi was given a Dragunov SVD Semi-automatic sniper rifle plus some spare magazines for long-range work, Netto was given extra magazines for his AKS-74U carbine, Meiru was given an AKS-74U of her own, since it was the only non-IMI weapon she was comfortable with, Sasuke was given a 7.62x 39mm RPK machine gun with two 100-round single drum magazines as a more reliable, harder-hitting backup weapon in case his G36C and Beta-C magazine jammed on him, Naruto grabbed an AK-74 and spare magazines as a backup to his M4A1 ,Sakura was handed a PP-19 Bizon submachine gun chambered for 7.62x25mm Tokarev rounds, which made for hard hits from a small package as a backup to her P90, and Jake picked a folding-stock version of the AK-47 assault rifle. They took up their guard posts, Naruto stopping to create Kage bunshins that were assigned to assist Tazuna in building the bridge. A few hours went by, and the bridge was almost complete when Sakura alerted the team to an incoming group of sword-wielding men. As soon as the rest of the team was alerted to this, Naruto had his clones stop what they were doing and grab an AK-47 or AKS-74 from the weapon crate. Tazuna retreated behind cover as instructed by Kakashi, and the entire team had their guns pointed at the advancing group, Haku and Zabuza getting into battle stances as Team 7 and the Kage Bunshins switched the fire selectors on their weapons away from 'safe', but did not put their fingers on the triggers just yet. Kakashi asked the incoming group some very important questions.

Kakashi: Halt! Who are you and what is your buisness here?

One of the members of the incoming mob spoke in response.

Henchman: Gatou-sama sent us to destroy this pathetic bridge. Now stand aside or go down with it!

Jake then shouted, enraged at such demands.

Jake: Tell your boss that he has to work for it, first! Attack us if you dare!

Henchman: You leave us no choice, foolish boy. Attack and destroy them!

The large mob of Henchmen began to charge at the bridge with a yell. Jake told his teammates to hold their fire and wait a little longer. Finally, Jake was satisfied with the distance the henchmen had come to.

Jake: Team 7, open fire! Kakashi-sensei, target their backup!

As Team 7 and the clones began slaughtering the poorly-paid henchmen, Kakashi got down in a prone position on a platform atop the span of the bridge and began picking off men in the rear of the mob that was now growing into a large force. Zabuza and Haku got in on the action as well, cutting up henchmen left and right as well as perforating them with senbon needles. Noting that his teammates would quickly exhaust their personal ammunition supplies if the enemy kept coming, Jake ordered some of Naruto's Kage Bunshins to fetch ammunition and magazines from the crate, which had a large amount of bullets lining the container. Meiru had already used up all of her Mini-UZI ammunition, and had already burned through half of her AKS-74 ammunition. She was itching to use her Desert Eagle, but restrained herself knowing she would have to save it for when things got desperate.

Meanwhile, back at Gatou's office, Gatou himself recieved word of a small squad of Konoha Ninjas as well as over 70 orange-clad boys were defending the bridge he wanted destroyed with firepower equivalent to that of 300 regular soldiers.

Gatou: So it seems the Ninja villages have been modernizing... I'll give them a run for their money.

Back at the bridge, Team 7 was holding their own against wave after wave of Gatou's henchmen with ease. Bullet-perforated bodies lay motionless on one side of the bridge while shell casings from all the guns on the bridge began to collect on the wooden planks, some beginning to roll over the side of the bridge and splash into the river below. Slowly, less and less henchmen went to attack the bridge for fear of getting ripped to shreds by the constant volley of lead from the Ninjas defending it.

Jake signaled for the team to cease fire, and at the sight of retreating henchmen, Team 7 and the clones gave shouts of victory.

Jake: We did it! Looks like we pushed 'em back!

Naruto called out after the fleeing henchmen.

Naruto: Give Gatou-baka our regards! Never mess with the ninja of the leaf!

Sakura: Yeah! And never bring a knife to a gun fight!

Almost as if in response to their taunts, an unholy noise erupts from out of nowhere, and in a flash, 95 percent of the clones were cut down, their AK's clattering onto the wooden planks of the bridge. All of Team 7 took cover, and that meant Kakashi couldn't pick off whoever was attacking them. Jake poked his head out and looked to where the sound came from. He saw a smoking M134 Minigun, or Gatling gun, as it was normally stereotyped, and behind it was Gatou.

Gatou: Ha! Looks like ninja rely too much on strength in numbers!

Jake: And you, Gatou-baka, rely too much on one weapon.

Team 7 was astonished to see Jake standing in the middle of the bridge alone, the extra fabric from his forehead protector flapping in the wind, and an RPG-7 Rocket launcher draped over his shoulder.

Gatou: Foolish boy! One burst from this Gatling gun will tear you to shreds! Your rocket is no match for me!

Jake: We'll see about that, won't we?

Jake whipped off his forehead protector and threw it into the air, the sunlight glaring off the metal temporarily blinding Gatou. Gatou saw that Jake got in the firing position for the RPG, and the two opponents simultaneously pulled the triggers on their weapons. The fast RPG warhead passed in between the barrage of bullets before it slammed head-on into the six barrels of the rotary cannon, effectively destroying it and blowing up in Gatou's face. However, the bullets caught Jake head on, three rounds hitting him in the chest, neck, and finally, the head. Jake fell backwards, his eyes closed as he lay still, with a bleeding neck wound, blood trickling out the corners of his mouth, and a .30 caliber hole in the center of his forehead. Jake's forehead protector came back down too late, landing on Jake's chest. Team 7 was in shock at the scene before them. While Netto and Meiru stood speechless, the original members of Team 7 expressed their shock.

Kakashi: Oh no!...

Sakura: Jake!

Sasuke: Damn it to hell!

However, Naruto took it the hardest. Jake had grown to be one of his best friends, whose life had been taken before his eyes.

Naruto: NOOOOOOOOO! JAKE!

Naruto dropped his gun and wept for a few seconds before the tears stopped flowing. Naruto then began to glow with a red aura filled with hate and torment. His pupils became slitted, his fingernails grew into claws, and his cainine teeth lengthened. The Kyuubi, or nine-tailed fox inside of him was beginning to take over, intent on avenging Jake with a personal vendetta. Naruto, now possessed, stepped out into the middle of the bridge. Gatou became afraid, slowly stepping back now that his ace in the hole had been destroyed. However, everyone was in for a surprise as they saw Jake's body become surrounded with a red and black aura of death. The bullet wounds Jake sustained sealed up, including the head wound, and Jake's Inner Demon had taken over, letting Jake's soul rest and recover. Jake's possessed and healed body stood up and tied his forehead protector back into place again, tossing away the empty RPG-7 launcher and cracking his knuckles. Jake's eyes had become red, and the crosshair lines appeared, but did not yet converge. Jake's Inner Demon acknowledged the Kyuubi, who was also a demon.

Possessed Jake: Don't start the fun without me, fox-boy.

The two nodded to each other, and they looked at Gatou. Jake performed some hand seals unknown to the rest of Team 7, but definitely familiar to both the Kyuubi and Kakashi.

Possessed Jake: **_Shushin no Jutsu!_** (Body Flicker Technique)

In a flash, Jake disappeared from sight only to reappear behind Gatou, whose arms were suddenly restrained by Jake. Jake whispered a message that chilled Gatou to the center of his being.

Possessed Jake: An immortal sent by Kami-sama himself doesn't die unless he's fulfilled his mission or his time is up, Gatou. My time isn't up, but yours should have been a long time ago. Don't worry, I'll personally send you to hell where they've got a nice cozy bed of fire waiting for you.

Gatou: Impossible! Y-you're just a m-monster!

Posessed Jake: Oh, no, I'm not a monster. Far from it. **_I'm your executioner._**

Gatou let out a scream of terror before he took a barrage of hits from Kyuubi-Naruto's fists. Naruto jumped away, and Jake dragged Gatou to one side of the bridge. Jake wrapped Gatou's neck in Garrotte wire from behind and kicked the greedy man's legs out into open air, causing the man to fall until he was being hanged from the bridge. Jake held him there until he stopped struggling, signifying he was dead. Just to make sure, Jake broke his neck, and then dragged the body back onto the bridge, which was still littered with the Kage Bunshins' dropped AK's. Kakashi and the others were still shocked at Jake's actions. Finally, Kakashi spoke.

Kakashi: I guess you sent his soul to hell?

Possessed Jake: Not quite. He's trying to run. SNIPER'S EYE! REVEAL!

Jake held out his hand in the direction from which all the attackers had come from as the crosshair lines in his eyes converged. Suddenly, a transparent version of Gatou materialized, and was trying to run away.

Possessed Jake: There's no running away from your punishment, fool! **_Katon: Oni Goukakyuu no Jutsu!_** (Fire Release: Demon Grand Fireball technique)

Jake released a large fireball from his mouth that was tinged in black. Sasuke watched the fireball pull Gatou's soul into it, sending and condemning the greedy criminal to his final resting place in hell.

Sasuke/How did Jake use that technique? He's not a distant relative of the Uchiha, is he? If he is, then I should clue him in on Itachi./

Soon, Jake and Naruto reverted back to their normal selves. Jake fell to his knees, panting.

Jake/Well, it's been a while since I let 'him' take over. Damn... I'm gonna have to repair my sneaking suit. Those Minigun rounds must've been Armor Piercing rounds./

Team 7 safed their weapons and rushed up to Jake and Naruto, checking to see if their teammates were ok. Naruto and Jake were now sprawled onto the ground, trying to regain their energy. They were helped back to Tazuna's house, where they rested. However, as soon as they arrived, they got some good news from Inari, who just came in with his crossbow.

Inari: Guess What? I rallied some of the bridge workers and those who had been wronged by Gatou, and we drove out Gatou's forces. We couldn't find Gatou, though.

Team 7 remained quiet for a small moment before Jake took it upon himself to explain the cold, hard truth to Inari.

Jake: Don't worry, Inari. Naruto and I rubbed him out. Your village and country is safe now, and to make sure, I will personally take Gatou's fancy blood-splattered suit and hang it up at the border checkpoint as a warning to any corporations that move here. I'm not gonna allow any suffering in the Land of waves as long as I live!

And so, Team 7, along with Zabuza and Haku, celebrated their victory against Gatou's oppressive regime that night, and they would all return to Konoha the next day.

To be continued...

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I hope you enjoyed this long chapter and will review! Below is the preview of the Next Chapter, Jake's got some 'splainin' to do!

Preview for Chapter 12: Jake's got some 'splainin' to do...

As Team 7 arrives back in Konoha, Kakashi signs them up for the Chunin exams while Zabuza and Haku are judged by the Elder Council. However, Jake gathers his team together and explains his dirty little secret as well as his past. he makes them swear to secrecy, but what happens if they find someone eavesdropping? Find out in the next installment of 'Of Kunais and PETs'!


	13. Jake's Got some 'splainin' to do

Chapter 12: Jake's Got some 'splainin' to do...

Team 7 bid Tazuna and his family goodbye, and they proceeded with Haku and Zabuza back to Konoha. The trip was rather quiet, except for Kakashi asking Jake where he learned the Body Flicker Technique, which the Fourth Hokage was famous for, and Jake replied that he learned it from the same toad hermit. Kakashi was still puzzled. Who was this 'Toad Hermit' again? He just couldn't remember. Then, Naruto asked one of the most obvious questions.

Naruto: Jake, What happened to you on the bridge?

Jake: I'll tell you all when we're back in Konoha and we're all settled.

Soon, Team 7 was back in their cabin. Kakashi had gone off to present Zabuza and Haku to the council, attempting to get the two pardoned for their crimes. Jake gathered his teammates around him and told the story of his past as he began repairing his sneaking suit, layer by layer. Unbeknownst to them, Ino heard Jake start speaking when she walked past the cabin as part of her own personal shortcut to town. She put off her current task, and listened in.

Jake: Ok, this whole buisness started way back when Ameroupe was still the United States of America. One day, I was walking home from school to my house, which, due to deterioration, was in a gang-infested neighborhood. I was passing through my usual route, which was normally the safest, and on that day, I happened to stumble upon a drive-by shooting. The gang car had stopped in front of a house to gun down its occupants. I knew gang members well because of the news reports that came in about them. I couldn't turn around and run, because they would spot me and gun me down. So, I tried to sneak past em'. Unfortunately, one of the gangsters, who had a MAC-10 in his hand, noticed me trying to slink by. He jumped out of the car and began running after me. I duck into an alley that I know is near the police station, and suddenly, I'm bleeding from chest wounds caused by bullets that entered my_ back_. I start trying to limp out to the other side of the alley, and as I look over my shoulder, the gangster bastard fires, and I get shot in the lungs. I could feel the blood trickling out of my mouth, and I was trying to crawl out of the alley when he flips me over with his foot, and the last thing I saw before things got fuzzy was that horrid, yellow-toothed smile. And then, he pulled the trigger, shooting me in the chest.

Ino pulled away and sank to her knees in shock. Did Jake really die that day? Then how come he was still alive now? She put her ear to the paper-thin walls and continued to listen.

Jake: As I began to die, I uttered a silent prayer to god on the outside, but in my mind, I was screaming for him to save me. I wanted to live, and never have to go through that experience of being shot and left for dead again. Then, everything went black. I was pretty sure I was dead. However, an orange flame flickered to life. As if I had control of a body again, I walked toward the flame. As I got closer, the flame turned out to be an half-humanoid, half animal foxhound who called himself The Foxhound of hell. The conversation between us is something I'll never forget.

Flashback

The Foxhound of hell and Jake met inside of Jake's mind, its fading represented by the blackness that surrounded them.

Jake: So, I'm going to hell, huh?

Foxhound: No. I'm just here to answer your request.

Jake: Wait a second. God works with Demons?

Foxhound: Yes. I'm not a demon in the common sense that is sterotyped, though. I'm not one of those 'Hellfire and Brimstone' types. I work for god, not satan.

Jake: Then why the name?

Foxhound: Mainly because the people I transport from this earth are usually bound for hell. I seldom get escort jobs to heaven.

Jake: Oh. So anyway, what are you going to do now?

Foxhound: Simple. You have to agree to let me combine with you, and you'll be brought back to life as well as made immortal.

Jake: Anything else?

Foxhound: In order to keep your body immortal and in working condition, you have to send evil souls to hell. You like guns, right?

Jake: Hell yes! The only thing I don't like is getting shot by them. That's no fun, unless it's an airsoft gun.

Foxhound: Good. I'm going to give you something called a 'blood limit'. It's called Sniper's eye, or if you want it in both eyes, Sniper eyes. This blood limit will allow you to see far or near, and if necessary, which it will be, into people's souls. It will be noticeable, unless you don't want it to be. To activate it, close your eye(s) tightly and say the words "Sniper's eye(s)". You should be seeing in a tinge of red as well as 4 lines facing up, down, left, and right. If you decide to focus on an object, you can will your eyes to zoom in, and the crosshairs can converge and lock on to something, even if you are facing away from it. It's like having eyes in the back of your head. However, one side effect is that the longer you use it, the more highly defined things become, but that takes up a lot of energy. Also, in low-light conditions, it's not as effective as night vision goggles. I'm sure you'll find something to counteract that though. Just remember that from time to time, you have to kill at least one evil person and send him or her to hell to keep your body from deteriorating. Don't worry. I'll take over for your first kill, and the steps will be burned into your memory.

Jake: What about the police?

Foxhound: You won't leave any trace. I'll see to that.

Jake: Well, then. Let's do this. Partners?

Foxhound smiled and shook Jake's hand.

Foxhound: Partners.

End Flashback

Jake: The next thing I knew, I was awake in a hospital bed, aching, but alive. The doctors proclaimed my recovery to be a miracle.

The others were silent, as was Ino, who was outside. This was a lot to take in. Then, Jake continued his story of redemption.

Jake: There's a silver lining to all this, however. I walked home from school on the same route. The guy said that he killed me, but that he would enjoy killing me again. So, I just stood there and let him have his fun. When I didn't go down, I chased him into an alley, and then a tinge of red, and everything turned black. When I came to, all that was left of the gangster was his broken MAC-10, his hat, and a ring of his blood on the wall. The police never found out that I did it, and I continued to live relatively normally.

The rest of team 7 was still in awe. All this time, they had a higher being hiding in their midst and did not know it. Meanwhile, Ino got up and was considering making a run for it. Jake sensed her, and caught her as she got up. The two stared at each other in awkward silence, until Jake flushed red with fear that the village would oust him. Jake began to apologize profusely to Ino.

Jake: Ino-chan, I'm really sorry that you found out this way! I was going to tell you if you trusted me enough and I'mreallyreallysorryandIhopeyouwontthinkImsomesortofserialkillerorsomethingcause I'm not, and I only do it because I don't want my body to deteriorate and--

Ino shut Jake up by planting a long, loving kiss on his lips. Jake was blown away, absolutely speechless. Ino pulled Jake closer and held him in her arms, speaking softly and soothingly into his ear.

Ino: Shhh... It's all right Jake. I don't think of you any differently. This secret stays with you, me, and your teammates. You have no reason to apologize, either. I believe what you're doing is right. Nothing will change that.

Ino then released Jake, realizing that she still had to do something.

Ino: Well, I better be off. I have things to do.

Ino spared some time to plant a quick kiss on Jake's cheek.

Ino: Jake... Keep fighting the good fight, ok?

As Ino dashed off into town, Team 7 watched Jake until he turned around, Blushed like a cherry red tomato, and promptly pass out on the floor. The affection he had been given by Ino was a little too much for him to handle. Sighing, Netto and Naruto dragged Jake back to the sleeping area, where they put him onto his bed and let him sleep.

Hours later, Kakashi came in bearing some good news. Jake woke up and joined everyone else in the living room.

Kakashi: Well team, it's official. Zabuza and Haku are now Konoha ninja. The Jounin council and the elder council voted 64-40 that the two be pardoned for their crimes and be made into Konoha ninja. Haku will be one of the Chunin watching over the exams I have signed you guys up for.

Netto: Kakashi-sensei, Is this exam meant to advance our rank?

Kakashi: Precisely, Netto. I signed this team up for the Chunin exams, which will test your intelligence, willpower, and strength as well as teamwork. Are you guys up to the challenge?

Naruto spoke, and the rest of Team 7 stood up with him.

Naruto: Of course we are, Kakashi-sensei! If we could hold out against hundreds of enemies that could have overrun us back in the Wave country, then we can make it through the test!

Jake: Weapons are allowed, right?

Kakashi: Of course! You'll be facing a tough survival test in the woods where anyone who's out for blood can kill you.

Jake: Awesome! Time to break out the heavy artillery!

Inside of Jake, The Foxhound of hell chuckled to himself.

Foxhound: Heh, looks like a killing spree is not too far over the horizon. The shell casings are really gonna fly, and I have a feeling my quota will be filled for the year.

To be continued...

------------------------------

Ugh, I have a feeling this chapter sucked. Oh well, I can make it up in the next chapter! Review, and check out the preview for chapter 13, On the Road to Chunin!

Preview for Chapter 13: On the Road to Chunin!

As the Chunin exams begin to fill up with participants, Netto, Meiru, and Jake give the original Team 7 a crash course in Crossfusion. How will it go? Also, The Sand Siblings come to Konoha, and tensions begin to rise when they find out Jake wields some heavy artillery. Next time, on 'Of Kunais and PETs'.


	14. 13: On the Road to Chunin!

Chapter 13: On the Road to Chunin!

Meiru sat down on the porch of Team 7's cabin staring up at the sky. She knew she had to prepare for the Chunin exams, and she had learned much from both the academy and Jake, but something was lacking.

Meiru: I have to find a fighting style to call my own...

As Meiru looked up at the cluds, she saw a long, thin cloud collide with a short, wide cloud. The shape was familiar to her.

Meiru: Hmm, that looks like Roll's arrows...

Then, Meiru was hit by a flash of inspiration. Grinning, she grabbed her keys and drove into town to head to the weapons shop owned by TenTen's family, Shinkatoma weapons shop. When she went inside, she was greeted by TenTen's father, Tenoshi, when she came to the counter.

Tenoshi: Welcome to my shop! Is there anything you would like to buy?

Meiru: Definitely. I would like to purchase a pack of 70 large C02 powerlets, a reciever, action, .223 adapter and barrel for a Remington M700 rifle, a reciever, drum magazine,and barrel for an STK Ultimax 100 Para, a bipod, a 200-count box of Shinkatoma Hollow Aluminum shaft Telescoping arrows in 5.56mm, a crossbow with a 10x scope and Skeleton stock, and 2 blank medium sized scrolls, please.

Tenoshi took down the tall order and calculated the total price.

Tenoshi: Coming right up!

When Tenoshi returned with all the requested items, Meiru paid about 15,000 yen for everything, since there was a sale for Chunin exam participants. She loaded it into the trunk of her S2000, and when she got back into Team 7's cabin, she got the necessary tools together and was about to start building a weapon for her own use, when she remembered something and went back into town. Meiru came back with a 400-count box of syrettes (Battlefield syringes, usually for morphine), one 5000cc bottle each of Sedative and anesthetic, and 2 wrist mounted kunai throwers plus ten Kunais. This time, Meiru began working away on her weapon.

Meanwhile, in a different training area, Naruto, Netto, Sasuke, Sakura, Rock Lee, Neji, and Chopper Lee were watching Jake and TenTen duke it out in a one-on-one Airsoft battle. Jake had twin WE Hi-Capa pistols with high-capacity magazines while TenTen went after him with her brand new UTG MP5A5/A4 Airsoft Automatic Electric Gun(AEG). TenTen had 250-round hi-cap magazines, which don't last long under continuous Automatic fire, but she was giving Jake a run for his money. Suddenly, Jake ended the battle using Kage Bunshin No Jutsu, which he learned from Naruto. TenTen's eyes widened when she saw 50 pairs of pistols open fire on her as she reloaded her MP5. As Neji, Chopper Lee, and Rock Lee watched TenTen get shot, they would look back on the moment for the rest of their lives and entitle it "The Day The Weapons Mistress Got Pwned".

TenTen: ARGHHHHHH! HIT!

Jake: Game over. You ok, TenTen-san?

TenTen lay down on the ground, twitching in pain from the welts she got. Jake carefully helped her to the safe zone, trying not to agitate her welts. There, the two safed their guns and removed their paintball masks.

Jake: Good game. No hard feelings?

TenTen: Good game indeed. No hard feelings. How about we have a rematch after the exams, next time with teams?

Jake: Sure. Well, my team and I should go back to the cabin. Netto-kun, Meiru-chan and I have something to teach to Naruto-kun, Sasuke-san, and Sakura-chan. See you guys later.

And so, The four boys and girl of Team 7 went back to the cabin. As they opened the door, Meiru immediately woke up, and realizing that her special weapon wasn't ready or finished yet, hastily hid it in a closet she had claimed for herself. She went out and met Jake and Netto.

Meiru: So, what are we going to be teaching Sasuke-kun, Naruto-kun, and Sakura-chan?

Netto: We'll be teaching them how to crossfuse using Chakra to summon a dimensional zone. I already ordered Synchro chips for them, so we're pretty much good to go. While you already know how to crossfuse, Only Jake and I know how to summon a dimensional area at any time without a DA generator. So you might want to watch.

Meiru: All right then. I'm ready when you guys are.

Meanwhile, Sasuke was looking in a nearby mirror, and noticed his eyes briefly flash red, with one comma surrounding his pupil. He smiled, knowing that his Sharingan was beginning to develop. Then, along with Naruto and Sakura, he grabbed his PET and went outside to attend a lesson that Jake, Netto and Meiru were going to teach them. Jake and Netto started the lesson off.

Netto: Today, we'll all be learning how to crossfuse without a Dimensional Area generator. For those of us who don't know, Dimensional Area generators are satellite dishes that send and project a holographic dome called a Dimensional area, which allows objects and beings from the Net world to materialize in the real world. Unfortunately, this includes viruses and Rogue Navis. Netbattlers like me, Jake, and Meiru-chan, who are exceptional Netbattlers, and thus eligible to become Net Saviors, who keep the peace on the net and in the real world, combat these threats with  
crossfusion. Crossfusion is when a Netnavi and its operator fuses together, giving the operator his or her Navi's abilities, provided they're within a Dimensional area. While in Crossfusion, Operators and Navis may use any battle chips they may have preloaded beforehand into their PET. Those battlechips, when employed during a battle with a Rogue Navi that's materialized, can make the difference between life saving victory and life threatening defeat. However, now that we know about Chakra, Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, and so on, and considering that the operator and Navi are fused, we think that a Konoha ninja can easily defeat a Rogue Navi without use of battle chips. Now, to be able to summon a dimensional area remotely, first, activate the DNA recognition program on your PET.

The three original members of Team 7, as well as Meiru, opened up the DNA recognizer.

Jake: Next, while feeding some Chakra into your PET, bite your thumb and make sure blood begins to come out. Using that blood, sign your name on the PET screen with your tumb while you still feed Chakra into it. When you are finished signing your name, you will have signed a contract allowing you to summon a dimensional area wherever, whenever.

The four learning the lesson did as told, signing their summoning contracts.

Netto: Good. Now, using any blood you have on your thumb, or in later cases, you will have to bleed again, place some blood in the palm of your free hand, the one that will hold the PET.

The four other Genin did so, setting their PETs down and awaiting instructions after they placed blood on their palm.

Jake: Next, perform the Boar, Dog, Bird, Monkey, and Sheep hand seals in that order, until your hands glow, signifying you've done the Jutsu right so far. Then, place your PET in your blood-painted hand, and touch it to the ground, PET hand palm facing down, and shout _**Kuchiyose No Jutsu!**_

All four of the learning Genin did so, thus summoning a quadruple-layer Dimensional Area.

Netto: Well done, guys. You've all summoned a dimensional area, which keeps out intruders and keeps in the battle until you dispel the Dimensional Area, with emphasis on dispel, because this version of a Dimensional area will remain until you cancel it using Chakra. For now, we don't need a 4-layer DA, so three of you must dispel your dimensional area. Only one is necessary to crossfuse.

Soon, only Naruto's Dimensional Area remained, and they got underway with learning Cross Fusion. Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke were handed their synchro chips.

Sasuke: What are these for?

Jake: This is the main element to crossfusion. Simply load it in when you're in a dimensional area, assuming you and your navi are relatively in sync, and crossfuse. Watch.

Sasuke activated his Sharingan and followed Jake's exact motions and words as Netto, Meiru, and Jake crossfused.

Jake, Netto, Meiru, and Sasuke: SYNCHRO SHIP, SLOT IN! CROSSFUSION!

The four Genin crossfused without a hitch, and now, all four were clad in their Navis' outfits. Jake crossfused with his Navi, Shotman, Netto with Rockman, Meiru with Roll, and Sasuke with Raven.

Cross Fusion Shotman: Nicely done, Sasuke. I'm guessing your Sharingan has finally surfaced?

Cross Fusion Raven: Yup. How'd you know?

CF Shotman: You copied our movements as we were doing them, and you got crossfusion successfully on your first try. Raven looks awesome fused with you.

Sasuke, when crossfused with Raven, looked awesome and badass. Sasuke was currently dressed in black with Bird-style wings coming out of his shoulder blade area. His mouth was covered in a mask similar to Kakashi's, a blue scarf flapped in the wind, and his hair was even more swept back due to his Navi's bird-shaped helmet. Sakura looked at him in awe, while Inner Sakura was beside herself.

Inner Sakura: OH MY GOD! HE'S EVEN MORE SEXY IN COSTUME!

Naruto grinned, pulling out his synchro chip.

Naruto: If Sasuke can do it, so can I! SYNCHRO CHIP, SLOT-IN! CROSSFUSION!

When the bright light cleared, Naruto was crossfused with Foxman, and it looked pretty cool. Naruto had an orange mask covering half of his face, which included the mouth and nose, his Navi suit was orange with a live, usable fox tail that reacted to Naruto's emotions. To top it off, Naruto's helmet had fox ears that responded to touch and sound. Sakura thought Naruto's costume was good, but Inner Sakura thought otherwise.

Inner Sakura: WAAAAA! HE'S SO KAWAII! I WANT TO TAKE HIM HOME AND KEEP HIM!

CF Shotman: Well, Sakura, it's your turn.

Sakura: Right. SYNCHRO CHIP, SLOT-IN! CROSSFUSION!

When the light from Sakura's crossfusion cleared, she was still wearing the form-fitting capri shorts, but everything else had changed. Her hair grew down to waist-length, a bandanna with the red cross symbol covered her forehead and the front part of her hair, her top had adhered to her skin, becoming more form fitting, a red mask was covering her mouth and nose, she had a red scarf, and a syringe-shaped Rocket launcher balanced on her shoulder. However, the boys of Team 7 noticed her outfit, which made her look, well... sexier. This caused them to blush and look away.

CF Raven(muttering/thinking): Damn, is she sexy. I wouldn't mind having her between my bedsheets... Wait! What am I thinking? Damn you Kakashi-sensei! Damn you and your perverted ways!

Jake regained his composure and turned to Sakura.

CF Shotman: W-well done, Sakura-chan. Now, before we all exit crossfusion, I would like Netto to demonstrate just how powerful a Navi's attacks are in the real world.

Netto nodded, activating his Rockbuster and firing a shot into a nearby tree. The blast alone ripped through the first tree and uprooted the other. The original team 7 members were awed. With crossfusion, they could mop up in the Chunin exam!

Later, as Team 7 hung around the town square, they encountered three ninja with sand village Hitai-ate. One was a blonde-haired girl with a giant fan strapped to her back, one was a boy with a package strapped to his back and was wearing Kabuki theatre makeup, and there was one more boy, a redhead with a gourd strapped to his back.

Jake walked up to them calmly, wishing to welcome them, but ready in case they try to pull something on him.

Jake: Hi there. I'm Jake Harrelson. You guys here for the Chunin exams?

The blonde goes up to Jake and shakes his hand.

Temari: Temari of the Sand. Nice to meet you. My brothers and I are here for the Chunin exams.

As the two shook hands, Jake felt his spine being poked. Immediately, he sent a flood of Chakra into his spine, and suddenly, the boy with the Kabuki makeup was twitching and screaming in pain.

Kaknuro: GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

Temari: Kankuro!

Finally, Kankuro stopped twitching and fell to the ground. Temari noticed his hands were slightly charred where Chakra strings normally came out so that he could control his puppets. She realized he had tried to take control of Jake. The three sand siblings heard a cocking noise behind them. Jake had his AKS-74U out, and the rest of Team 7 pulled out their weapons.

Jake: That wasn't very smart, you know. Don't try that again, or I'll put a hole through your face. And considering the sort of rounds I've got in here, I won't just put a hole in your head, I'll blow it clean off.

To prove his point, Jake clicked off the safety and aimed. Temari opened her fan and used it as a shield. Jake smirked, and popped off one round. The blue tipped round tore a hole in Temari's fan like a knife through hot butter, and it exploded as it hit a wall, creating a small crater. The Sand siblings were shocked. None of the higher-ups had told them about this! Meanwhile, Jake's team themselves were shocked. How did Jake manage to pack such destructive power into one bullet?

Jake: Impressed? Shocked? These bullets are made of Depleted Uranium. One of Man's most destructive devices. You know, With 2 shots, I could destroy an armored tank with these. So make sure you don't get on my bad side. Otherwise, you might as well dig your own grave.

The Sand siblings nodded. Even Gaara, who was a cold-blooded killer , was rattled. He recognized Jake as a threat to his existence, however, and wanted to battle him.

Gaara: Hmm... My sand against his bullets and weapons. This should make for an interesting fight...

Back at the Hotel, Kankuro and Temari were still shaken from the display of explosive firepower Jake gave them. Weapons of mass destruction was not something they were meant to deal with.

Temari: Maybe we should back out! This is not something I signed up for!

The sound of a slap echoed in their hotel room. Kankuro slapped Temari, who was now placing her hand over the red mark on her cheek.

Kankuro: Pull yourself together, sister! We are to see this through to the end! Remember, this mission is important to our village, and especially the Kazekage. We can't let anyone stop us.

Temari: Right. Well, let's get to sleep. The Chunin exams start tomorrow. And it's going to be a long run.

To Be Continued...

- - - - - - - - - - - - -  
Hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Please review, and enjoy the preview for Chapter 14: Chunin exams start!

Preview for Chapter 14: Chunin Exams Start!

With less than 2 and a half months left until they must go back to Akihara, Netto, Meiru, and Jake are determined to blaze through the Chunin exams as best as they can. Let's see how they deal with The written test, the Forest of death, and the preliminaries in the following chapters! Of course, The three netbattlers all have their aces in the hole, each differing from the other. Stay tuned if you want to see Jake go on a lead-spitting killing spree in the next chapter! Next time on: 'Of Kunais and PETs'!


	15. Special Intermission! Touge Showdown!

Of PETs and Kunais Special Super-long Intermission: Konoha Touge Showdown MAX

Disclaimer: The Touge Showdown title is the property of Best Motoring International/ Hot Version Video Magazine. Konoha was added to fit with the setting.

It was friday morning in Konoha, and a certain Red Nissan Skyline R32 GTS Go-kart was blazing down a pass behind the Hokage monument to a dealership. Jake Harrelson was driving to his shop since he had no mission today. This left him free to run the shop he and his team had built. Jake seemed bored as he raced down the mountain pass at speeds in excess of 160 km/h with only a guardrail of questionable quality and his own skill and wit separating him from an expensive wreck and a considerable amount of broken bones. Jake suddenly put both hands on the wheel as he approached a sharp hairpin turn. Instead of braking, Jake popped the clutch and shifted into a higher gear, speeding into the corner with seemingly reckless abandon.

Jake: All righty, let's make this hairpin a clutch kick drift.

Jake held down the clutch for a split second as he entered the corner and quickly released it. the action sent a surge of power through the drivetrain, and that caused the rear wheels to break grip by spinning faster. Jake steered into the left-hander, then turned his wheel to the right, until the front tires were in a condition called opposite lock, in which the wheels were turned in the direction the car was sliding, and not the direction of the turn. Jake eventually straightened as he continued to his shop. Just another work day for the car and gun-crazed Konoha Genin.

Later, while Jake was eating Take-out from Ichiraku Ramen back at his shop, he heard the twincharged roar of a certain Blaze Orange AE86 Trueno he had built for a friend. A moment later, UIzumaki Naruto came into the shop, greeting Jake, who was his teammate.

Naruto: Hey, Jake! I'm looking to get some tires. Firestones, specifically, and two of them.

Jake: You sure you want such crappy tires? What are you gonna use them for?

Naruto: I'm gonna learn to master low rear grip and low front grip driving and drift techniques. I want to build up my skill for the Konoha Touge Showdown MAX event.

Jake: Speaking of grip, how's the condition of the current Advan tires I installed?

Naruto: Well, since I like to use that technique you taught me every other day, my tires still have plenty of grip!

Jake: Don't use it too often, Naruto. You'll wear yourself out. Now, let me get you those tires. By the way, while I'm back there, is there anything else you need?

Naruto: I'll also buy a Greddy muffler and exhaust as well as a boost controller.

Jake: Coming up.

As Jake disappeared into the shop's inventory room, The noise of another engine was heard, and Naruto turned around to see a purple Honda/Acura NSX-R pulling up. Ino Yamanaka stepped out of the car. She came into the shop and stopped at the counter, next to Naruto.

Naruto: Hey, Ino-chan!

Ino: Naruto-kun. Is Jake here?

Naruto: Yeah. He's in the back, getting parts that I ordered.

Ino bonked him on the head.

Ino: Don't just stand there, baka! Help him out!

Naruto: Owww. Ok, ok, I'll go. Hey, Jake! Let me help you out!

Jake and Naruto got to the shop's counter, and Ino greeted Jake.

Ino: Hi, Jake!

Jake: Ino-chan! I'm surprised to see you here! Need anything?

Ino: I'm just here to ask you a question.

Ino then grabbed Jake by the scruff of his neck and got in his face.

Ino: Can my NSX-R beat Forehead-girl's S2000?

Jake was sweating, knowing that if he made anything up, or said no, he would find himself bruised, battered, and possibly in a ditch.

Jake: Y-Yes it can, dear. In fact, you have an advantage.

Ino let him go, but stared him down.

Ino: Explain, please?

Jake: Since the engine is mounted nearer the back, where the wheels that get the power are located, more weight is put on the rear wheels, giving it more traction. However, I must tell you that it is a double-edged sword--

Ino: Good enough for me! Thanks, Jake! Now I know I'm gonna make that pink-haired bitch eat my dust!

Ino pecked Jake on his cheek with a kiss, and bounded out the door and drove away. Naruto had one thing to say.

Naruto: Dude, you are whipped.

Jake: Wha?

Naruto: You heard me. Whht-chh!

Naruto continued to make the sound and imitated flogging someone with a whip, severely annoying and embarrassing Jake.

Jake: Shut up! I'm not whipped! It's just that she can be scary sometimes.

Suddenly, Shikamaru came in through the door, his lightly-tuned, 250hp Nissan 350Z parked out front. He had heard what Jake had said.

Shikamaru: Join the club, Jake. I pity you by the way, yet I also am in awe of you.

Jake: Why, Shikamaru?

Shikamaru: Because you're her significant other. You have to put up with her more than I do. Tell you what, I'll get you some venison from our Deer farm if you can hook me up.

Jake: What do you need?

Shikamaru: Well, I'm not the type who likes to race, but I do like comfort and music. I'm looking for some extra-cushy Recaro bucket seats, Alpine Type R speakers, and a Bazooka Bass tube amp. I'm hooking up my car's stereo to my DJ equipment.

Jake: Ah, providing music for Saturday afternoon and night's event?

Shikamaru smirked.

Shikamaru: Of course. They don't call me DJ Shadow for nothing.

Jake: Right. Speaking of Touge Showdown MAX, The Sand siblings have entered as well. Temari was looking for you, by the way.

While Shikamaru blushed at the mention of his girlfriend, Naruto was surprised.

Naruto: The Sand Siblings are racing? What do they have?

Jake: Except for Temari, they have mostly All-wheel drive cars. Kankuro has a Lancer Evolution VIII MR, and Gaara has an Impreza WRX STI. Temari, meanwhile, has a Toyota MR-S Roadster. I built all of their cars, thanks to Gaara's funding.

Naruto: Hmm, so even Gaara feels the need for speed, huh?

Jake: Well, when I last saw them using their cars, Gaara and Kankuro were jumping over crests on dirt roads with their rally-bred cars. And get this: Gaara was smiling happily. That's pretty rare.

Naruto, Jake, and Shikamaru talked for a while longer, then Naruto paid for all his items, and Shikamaru paid half the cost of his purchases, Jake knowing that some of the Nara family's delicious venison would be used as payment for the rest of the parts. The shop was empty for a while, until 20 minutes later, when Jake was woken up by the sound of a loud, buzzing 2-stroke engine. Jake walked to the counter and saw Konohamaru come into the shop.

Konohamaru: Hi, Jake. I'm here for my shift.

Konohamaru had applied for work at Jake's dealership when it opened. Jake hired him, and was the co-manager of his shop. When Jake was on a mission, Konohamaru would run the shop, making sales on both the Go-karts and real cars. Hence the reason there were now full-sized vehicles running around Konoha.

Jake: Hey, Konohamaru. I'll leave things up to you for now. I'll be napping in the back room. Wake me up if you need help or if any more than one of my friends come in to buy something.

Konohamaru: 'kay, boss. Rest easy.

45 minutes went by, and Konohamaru was polishing a turbocharger when he saw three full-sized cars, a Grey Nissan Silvia S15, a Red and White Honda S2000, and a Navy Blue Toyota Supra, pull up in the parking lot. Konohamaru recognized the three Jounin that got out and went to wake up Jake.

Konohamaru: Boss, Kakashi-san, Kurenai-san, and Asuma-san just pulled up.

Jake: Hm? Oh, ok. I'll be with you shortly.

Jake walked to the counter and greeted the three Jounin.

Jake: Hello, Kakashi-sensei, Kurenai-san, Asuma-san. Need anything?

Kurenai: Hello, Jake. I just need an APEX'I boost controller for my turbo.

Jake: All right. How about you, Asuma-san?

Asuma: A C-west GT wing for my Supra, please. And while you're at it, I'll need an air freshener and an ashtray brush.

Jake: You want anything, Kakashi-sensei?

Kakashi: A boost controller and a Sparco racing wheel, please.

Jake: Coming up!

Jake went into the back, and with Konohamaru's help, got the parts to the counter. Asuma and Kurenai paid for their purchases, but Kakashi lingered a while longer.

Kakashi: Jake, I need a favor.

Jake: What is it, Kakashi-sensei?

Kakashi: I'm going to need to buy one of your Pre-tuned, ready-made Go-Karts. Knowing my luck, Gai's going to challenge me to a race using Rock Lee's Honda Civic.

Jake: What model will it be then?

Kakashi: Toyota Levin, please. AE86 model.

Jake: All right. Good choice. Your AE86 is pretty much the same as Naruto's except for different headlights and paint job.

Kakashi: I can live with that.

Kakashi paid for everything, leading to a rather large amount of money spent. Jake lent Kakashi a trailer to transport the AE86 home. Throughout the rest of the day, various members of the Rookie 9 came in, as well as the rest of Team 7, buying modifications they thought would help them win the race event on Saturday. The most outlandish request was made by Neji, who purchased a night vision camera to help him see the road far ahead better at night. When Neji walked out of the shop, he could be heard laughing like a mad scientist.

Later, Sasuke came in to Jake's shop. He walked up to Jake and made a simple request. Jake was not necessarily pleased with what he heard.

Jake: YOU WANT WHAAAT? Are you crazy? You're gonna blow your Skyline's engine, and you will also be defacing one of the greatest cars in the world, the same way Craig Lieberman would!

Sasuke shuddered. He had heard about what the technical assistant for the movie '2 Fast 2 Furious' had done to a perfectly good R34 Skyline.

Sasuke: I'm just asking for 2 small bottles, which will also be in the trunk.

Jake: (sigh) Fine, Sasuke. But that's the most Nitrous Oxide I'll let you buy. None of us want to have to scrape you off the mountainside. I know Sakura-chan won't.

Sasuke thought of his pink-haired girlfriend, and sighed.

Sasuke: You know what? Cancel my order. I realized I'll only need raw power to help me defeat the blonde-haired moron we call a teammate. Thanks anyway, and I'll see you Saturday. I know I can't beat you, but I sure can beat your student.

With that, Sasuke walked out and drove away in his midnight Black Skyline R34. Soon enough, it was closing time.

Konohamaru: Hey boss, can you take the cost of some Bridgestone Semi-slicks out of my paycheck? I need them for my Kart. I'm gonna race on Saturday.

Jake froze. If Konohamaru was going to race, he would have to add a second barrier to the guardrail. and he wasn't going to have enough time or material. Besides, wasn't it unfair for the bigger kids to have around 300 Horsepower while Konohamaru only had about 150?

Jake: Konohamaru-kun, are you sure you want to race? It's kinda unsafe considering how low your Kart is in relation to the guardrail. Besides, who are you challenging?

Konohamaru: I'll put a rollcage that matches the Guardrail's height. Don't worry if I'm challenging Naruto-nii-san. You and him taught me that you don't need power to get serious speed on the downhill.

Jake: I'll have him detune his engine. It should be a good challenge for him.

Soon, Saturday afternoon came, and many cars, both full-sized and Go-karts were gathered at the mountain top to watch the races and enjoy themselves. During the afternoon, the racers and even some spectators made practice and exhibition runs down the mountain. Sasuke's R34 merited a lot of attention from his fangirls, who squealed with delight as he tossed his bandanna to them while he drifted in front of them. Meanwhile, the Jounin, as well as Tsunade (AKA the legendary sucker) were already making bets as to which student could outrace who. Kakashi had a lot of confidence in both Naruto and Sasuke, but bet heavier on Sasuke than he did Naruto. Soon, the Sand siblings arrived, and the races were ready to begin.

Jake: Good afternoon, everyone, and welcome to the First Annual Konoha Touge Showdown MAX! This is an event where you can take out your frustrations by driving as fast as you can while racing an opponent. Spectators may challenge anyone and everyone who has a car, me included. But before we begin tonight's festivities, let us have a moment of silence for those who died during the Invasion of Konoha.

People bowed their heads for ten seconds of silence, and then Jake spoke.

Jake: Well, let's get things started! Take it away, DJ Shadow!

With that, Shikamaru put 'Night of fire' from the Initial D soundtrack onto his turntable. The lyrics began to flow from the speakers.

Welcome to the broken low,

Welcome to the famous disco live!

Come on lady come and go,

Come on lady get me once and right!

Not a danger, not a blacky stranger,

Rock it - rock it - knock to my door, I'll open

Speak my name now, speak if it you know how

Fly to me, get ready for the-

Night of fire! You'd better better stay,

You'd better better begin the prayer to play,

Night of fire! Come over over me,

Come over over the top you've never been here,

Night of fire! You'd better better stay,

You'd better better begin the prayer to play,

Night of fire! Come over over me

Come over over the top you'll have a night of fire

You'll have a night of fire

Welcome to my rocky show

Welcome to the fire of the night

Come on baby let it go

Come on baby let me stick you tight

Not a danger, not a blacky stranger

Rock it - rock it - knock to my door I'll open

Speak my name now, speak if it you know how

Fly to me, get ready for the

Night of fire, you've better better stay

You've better better begin the prayer to play

Night of fire, come over over me

Come over over the top you've never been here

Night of fire, you've better better stay

You've better better begin the prayer to play

Night of fire, come over over me

Come over over the top you'll have a night of fire

You'll have a night of fire

You better better stay

The prayer to play

Come over over me

You've never been here

Night of fire

You've better better begin

Night of fire

Come over over the top

You'll have a night of fire

Welcome to the broken low

Welcome to the famous disco live

Come on lady come and go

Come on lady get me once and right

Not a danger, not a blacky stranger,

Rock it - rock it - knock to my door I'll open

Speak my name now, speak if it you know how

Fly to me, get ready for the night of Fire

You'll have a night of fire

Night of fire...

While the music played in the background, Challenges were being offered. Gaara was the first one to chalenge someone, taking a crack at Jake.

Gaara: I, Gaara of the sand, challenge Jacob Harrelson, driver and handler of the Touge Demon!

Jake: I accept!

At once, everyone began to talk amongst themselves. Gaara was a very good driver in his own right, but Jake was unstoppable on this mountain! So far, there was no one he couldn't beat, no turn too fast, and no straightaway he couldn't conquer. Jake pulled the cover off of his Tuned Skyline R32 GTS. Upon starting it up, he drove it to the starting line, where Gaara's Subaru Impreza was idling. Kurenai was the starter for the boys races while Iruka was the starter for the girls races. Kurenai waved the flag high in the air as Jake and Gaara revved their engines.

Kurenai: On your mark...

Jake and Gaara released their handbrakes.

Kurenai: Get set...

Jake and Gaara now had their hands on their shifters. Kurenai brought the flag downward.

Kurenai: GO!

The two racers shifted into first gear, and their tires smoked a bit before taking off down the mountain. Gaara got a quicker start because his Impreza was all wheel drive. Jake was right on his tail.

Gaara/That fool shouldn't have let me go in the lead. My 4WD STI Impreza will now blow him away for sure/

Gaara approached the first corner, a sharp left-hand turn. Gaara tapped the brake lightly and then used the car's All wheel drive powertrain to pull him through the turn.

Gaara/Now to seal my victory before we're even halfway down the mountain! This Touge Demon behind me shall finally be slain, and I will be the king of Touge no Hokage!(Hokage Mountain Pass)/

Gaara flipped open a covered toggle switch and flipped the switch upwards. Then, he pressed a button of steering wheel and got a huge boost of power and speed as the nitrous oxide in the back of his car accelerated the fuel burn process. Meanwhile, Jake noticed this going into the turn.

Jake: Hm, I'm not worried. That badly-timed Nitrous boost is Gaara's undoing.

Jake clutch-kicked the car's pedals to induce a drift. Spectators watched as Jake made a full throttle drift through the corner, never taking pressure off the gas pedal evident by the sound of the engine. Konohamaru and Naruto were in awe.

Konohamaru: Wow! Jake never has to take pressure off the gas even when he's drifting!

Naruto: Insane! That's pro-level drift control!

The crowd was amazed to see that the drift put Jake right on the rear bumper of Gaara's Impreza.

Gaara/That's more than I expected. I know can't get rid of Jake that easily, but that full-throttle drift was insane! No regular person would attempt that/

Minutes later, further down the mountain, Gaara and Jake were neck and neck. Gaara's tires were beginning to lose their bite on the asphalt road.

Gaara: Damn, I put too much strain on my tires. I'm beginning to get a lot of understeer.

Jake's car was right behind Gaara's, and Jake shook his head.

Jake: This is the problem with all-wheel drive cars. You can't gauge the front tire grip easily because of the power going to it. Time to end this.

Gaara was on the inside of the final turn, thinking he still had a chance for victory. Suddenly, Jake tapped his brakes and sent the car into yet another drift, but this time, he pressed a button on his steering wheel that activated a 2-pound bottle of nitrous oxide. His tires spun faster as he drifted, somehow overtaking Gaara, and when he straightened out, vanished and crossed the finish line. Gaara arrived at the finish line a few seconds later, and he saw everyone hoisting Jake up on their shoulders. Gaara simply smiled and shook his head. He knew he had a lot to learn. Meanwhile, at the top of the mountain, Kakashi was living it up as he collected plenty of Ryou from the Jounin who thought Gaara would win.

Kakashi: That's right, people. Cough it up! _No one_ can beat the Touge Demon.

Asuma: Christ, I need to pay more attention to who runs down this mountain.

The next race was Ino against Sakura. The race was an attention grabber, with people wondering who would win. The two exchanged trash talk at the starting line.

Ino: Get ready to have your ass handed to you, forehead girl! We won't even be halfway down the mountain, and this race will already be over!

Sakura: You might want to take it slow, Ino-pig! I wouldn't want your expensive car to turn into scrap metal on the first turn!

Ino: Grrrr... Enough talk! Let our driving to the talking!

As Iruka waved the flag and shouted "GO!", Ino got a headstart because the location of her NSX's engine provided more grip on her rear tires. Sakura was close behind in her Honda S2000. As they went into the first turn, Ino's NSX dove forward, as would be typical with hard braking, and the NSX took the corner flawlessly. Sakura, meanwhile, took advantage of her car's FR drivetrain and drifted the entire corner. They continued like this until when they were halfway down the mountain. There, Sakura overtook Ino, who got rightfully pissed. Sakura used a Nitrous boost on the straightaway to pave her way to victory, but Ino wouldn't have any of that. Ino also activated her Nitrous oxide bottle and followed Sakura, hounding her rival's S2000 all the way. It was at the home stretch that something happened. Ino attempted to take the inside of the final turn, but because she didn't know the gutter hook maneuver, was forced outward. As she tried to turn, the rear tires of Ino's NSX-R gave out, and Ino spun out, and her left front end crashed into the mountainside. After gaining her composure, she restarted the engine and limped the car to the finish line. She remembered Jake was going to mention something about her MR drivetrain being a double-edged sword, but she failed to listen. She realized her inattentiveness cost her the race.

The night continued, with more people challenging each other, such as when Neji challenged Hinata to a race, only to have his butt handed to him. Evidently, the night vision camera did not help much, as he dove too far into the corner at one point and crashed while Hinata drifted by in her RX-7 FD3S model. Kankuro challenged Shino, who smoked Kankuro's Lancer Evolution using his Volkswagen Beetle Turbo RSI. As Kakashi had predicted, Gai challenged him to a Kart race, using Rock Lee's Honda Civic against Kakashi's Levin AE86. Gai was in the lead at first, but Kakashi used the skills he had copied from Naruto and Jake to beat Gai by a large margin. Gai forced himself to drive for two days at Jake's practice track, stopping for fuel in the pits every few hours.

Then came Sasuke's race against Naruto. When Kurenai waved the starting flag, Naruto followed Jake's advice and tailed Sasuke from the start. It paid off, with the results of the race matching that of Jake against Gaara's. Sasuke had depended too much on raw power, and he paid the price by losing grip when he slammed on his brakes to head into the turn. Meanwhile, when Jake had asked Narutoto detune his engine because he was going to be racing against Konohamaru, Naruto noticed the de-tuning actually paid off. Since Naruto had less horsepower, Naruto was able to do a few full-throttle drifts around some of the corners. Right after that battle, Kakashi was forced to cough up a good portion of his cash, having bet heavily on Sasuke. Right after that race, Naruto raced against Konohamaru, who put up a fierce fight, but still came in second place. Konohamaru always accelerated through the corners while Naruto drifted, and kept that up until the very end.

Soon, the race night was over, and everyone went home tired but happy. Everyone went to bed smiling, knowing that something like this was going to happen again soon.


	16. 14: Chunin Exams Start!

Chapter 14: Chunin Exams Start!

A/N: Before this chapter begins, I would like to acknowledge some of the reviews recently made:

**pyro-chan the one and only: If you do not like my descriptions, then I am sorry. I am a gun freak as well as a car freak, and I've read waay too many Tom Clancy books, hence, the in-depth descriptions. I did not intend for Jake to be a Mary Sue-type character. In fact, he has weaknesses, the first being that he has to send people to hell to stay alive. If he goes for a long while without killing anyone (which will most likely be imposed on him in a couple of chapters), his immortality is worth jack shit if his body deteriorates. Secondly, while he is immortal(because of the Foxhound of hell), he can still be crippled, as evidenced by the fight he had gotten in a few chapters back. Finally, Ino can be a weakness to him. He is emotionally attached, and would gladly give his life to her so that she may live(Yes, he can request that). If something like that were to happen, then one of the main characters of this story dies. Happy? If you still don't like any changes I may make, then don't bother reviewing. You don't have to read this if you're too good for it.**

**elmo-x-takumi: I'm glad you liked that chapter. I am definitely shooting for SasuSaku relationship, though Naruto does gain her respect as a friend. Expect more of that in the future, Both dirty and clean.**

**tiffanylicis: Thank you for your patience. It will not go unrewarded.**

**Jeikobu Kyoudi-teiru: Chill out. These things take time to write and make into a relatively-quality product. Keep pressuring me, and I'll send Jake over with some heavily-armed mercenaries who will proceed to tear your home to pieces. Capiche?**

Now that I'm done, let the story begin!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Dawn came upon Konoha, and Team 7 was beginning to wake up. Jake was already brushed and had washed up, dressed in his normal outfit of a Black long-sleeve shirt, Tactical and Bulletproof vests, zip-off Camouflage cargo pants, and black boots. Jake was in the kitchen, making breakfast as well as preparing food items for the Chunin exam. On the counter in front of Jake were 6 bags full of Chocolate, and each was marked with a team member's name. Jake had a purpose for those bags of chocolate, but he would not explain until Team 7 was ready to leave for the Academy, where they would go through the first Chunin exam test. Jake went to his Vintage NVA(North Vietnamese Army) backpack and stored his Sneaking suit, Night Vision Goggles, Steath Camouflage, and Solid Eye System Digital Eyepatch inside for later use. He also stuffed in extra boxes of 5.45mm ammunition as well as AKS-74U magazines. Then, while the others were still eating, he cast a special Jutsu that he had created using the Bird, Monkey, Tiger, and Hare seals.

Jake (whispering): **_Kangen Tame Charkra No Jutsu._** (Music to Chakra Conversion technique)

Suddenly, The ipod shuffle on Jake's tactical vest glowed red with Chakra momentarily, and then stopped. Jake smiled, put on his head phones, and turned on his ipod, keeping the volume down so that he could hear his surroundings. After a little bit of listening, Jake put the ipod on standby, the jutsu still in effect. Team 7 was finally prepped for the Chunin exams. To them, prepared now meant having a full magazine in their guns, plenty of spare mags, rations, water, body armor, and of course their ninja equipment. Jake tossed each of them their cooresponding bags of chocolate. Puzzled, the team members looked inside the bags.

Naruto: Hey, Jake, what's with the chocolate bars and M&M's?

Jake: Let me explain. From personal experience, I've learned that chocolate can come in handy in many a situation. You can use it as a lure for a trap, you can bribe people with it, but its mains functions lie with a person in combat. Chocolate provides a good source of fuel to keep going. I have found that chocolate is sort of a miracle food, because it provides a usable amount of calcium in the case of milk chocolate, it has the carbohydrates, calories and protein you need to keep going, as well as antioxidants to keep from getting sick easily. Best of all, Chocolate is a morale booster. There's a reason it was used for Care packages back in World War 2. So all in all, Chocolate not only serves as a high-energy, pocket-sized Ration like the soldier pill, but it also one-ups the soldier pill in taste as well as morale boost. Let's all pop an M&M right now for good luck.

Everyone fished out one of the famous candy-coated chocolates from their bags and popped it into their mouths. Some chewed on it, others let it melt in their mouth. Either way, everyone's day was that much better.

Naruto: Wow! Now I feel a lot better! Let's go tackle the Chunin exam!

All six of them dashed out the door and sprinted down to the Ninja Academy. When they got to the door leading to the exam classroom, Kakashi was waiting for them. He stopped them one last time.

Kakashi: Are you guys sure you want to do this? You can still back out.

At this, everyone in Team 7 turned to Kakashi. Naruto said what was on their minds.

Naruto: Kakashi-sensei, there's no reason for us to back out now. If we could survive an A-rank mission, then we sure as hell can pass this exam!

Jake: Right! Now let's make an entrance! Follow my lead!

Jake transformed into an SAS trooper clad in the typical SAS Urban Combat uniform, which included a gas mask and black hoodie. Everyone else on the team did the same, and on Jake's signal, they stormed through the doors to the classroom, bristling with weaponry. Jake shouted a demand as if he were in a Hostage-rescue type situation.

Jake: EVERYBODY GET THE FUCK DOWN ON THE FLOOR! THIS IS A RAID!

Jake fired a few rounds into the wall to emphasize his point, and all the people in the room except for Team 7 dropped to the ground, including a certain glasses-wearing spy that many of us hate. They stayed like that for a moment or two before Naruto, still clad in SAS uniform, revealed it was a prank.

Naruto: Gotcha. You've all been punk'd!

Finally, Some of the ninja in the room stood up, looking rather bewildered, as Naruto began busting a gut along with Jake, and eventually, everyone on Team 7 was laughing as they took their gas masks off. That's right, even Sasuke, as impossible as it may seem. Jake finally straightened up, but still spoke to everyone in an amused tone.

Jake: Hoo boy, we got you guys good, didn't we? But still, though, I advise you all to be cautious. These are real guns we're carrying with live ammunition. That prank wasn't a blanks and squibs job. Those were carefully aimed shots.

Suddenly, a Chunin hopeful from the Sound village named Zaku leapt at Jake.

Zaku: I hope you had your fun, 'cause now, you're paying the price!

Jake: Sit your ass down, Sound village bastard child.

Jake pushed a gun barrel into Zaku's abdomen, and Zaku was then thrown back across the room. He landed on the floor and continued to slide until he hit the wall on the other side of the room. Everyone looked at him to see if he was dead, and surprisingly, there was a beanbag where the shot had hit him.

Jake: Impressed? Just think, if a nonlethal beanbag round can send someone flying, imagine what 12-gauge buckshot will do to one's internal organs.

Jake racked the pump on his smoking SPAS-12 combat shotgun, this time chambering a lethal buckshot round. He turned the safety on, and put it away as he and the rest of Team 7 dispelled their Henge no Jutsu. Most everyone went back to what they were doing before Team 7 stormed in. Ino came over to the group, specifically to Jake.

Ino: Nice entrance, You guys.

Jake: Thanks, Ino. For once, It was me who came up with this instead of Naruto.

Ino: That's all I needed to know.

Ino cracked her knuckles and punched Jake in the face, disorienting him.

Jake: Ouch...

Ino: That was really stupid. Not only did you guys scare the bejeezus out of us, but now all Konoha ninja will be targeted because of your actions!

Jake: It's all right. I won't let any harm come to Konoha, as long as I'm here.

Jake hugged Ino to reassure her that everything would be ok. Then, he joined Team 7, who was currently talking to the glasses-wearing Genin in the corner of the room. Jake immediately got suspicious. Jake pulled his Solid Eye System Eyepatch out of his NVA pack, booted it up, and had it make a dossier scan on his face. The results made Jake smile, as if he was a falcon that cornered a rat in the midst of a herd of sheep. The results looked something like this:

**TARGET IDENTIFIED**

**NAME: **Yakushi Kabuto

**AGE:** 20

**DOB: **February 29

**BLOOD TYPE :** AB

**EYE COLOR:** Black

**HAIR COLOR :** Grey

**HEIGHT :** 176.2 cm

**WEIGHT:** 65 kg

**AFFILIATION(S):**

Akatsuki: Infiltration specialist

Superior Officer: Sasori

Otogakure: Unknown

Superior Officer: Orochimaru

Konohagakure: Medical Corps Technician

Superior Officer: Unknown

**CHARGES/ CRIMINAL RECORD**

Surgery w/o license: June 5, 1995, Sentenced to Incarceration for 1 month.

Illegal Modification of a Human Body via surgery: March 30, 1999, Sentence of 2 year incarceration not served due to skipping of bail.

**FINAL CLASSIFICATION**

A-Rank Missing-nin, Armed and Dangerous, flight risk. Approach with caution.

Bounty: 2,000,000 Ryou alive, 1,000,000 Ryou dead

**CURRENT OPTIONS WHILE TARGET IS IN PROXIMITY**

**A:** Shoot on sight, aim for nonlethal areas

**B:** Shoot to kill, turn body over to authorities for confirmation

**C: **Detain target, prevent him from escaping using non-lethal means

**D: **Lead target into a trap set by local authorities

**Recommended option: D**

Jake approached Kabuto, turning off and putting away his Solid Eye System.

Jake: Sorry to interrupt this... delightful conversation you're having, but are you Yakushi Kabuto?

Kabuto looked up at Jake, having been interrupted from his demonstration of his information cards.

Kabuto: Yes, that's me. Who wants to know?

Jake: Well, I just got asked by administration to bring you up to the office. It seems that there's some trouble with your application form.

Kabuto: Really? Well, ok. I'll go with you.

Kabuto went out the way Team 7 came in. Kakashi was reading his book next to the door. He saw Kabuto come out followed by Jake. Kakashi got a first row seat to the events that happened next. As Kabuto walked forward, Jake brought up his AKS-74U and used the stock to butt the bespectacled genin into unconsciousness. Kakashi ran over to Jake.

Kakashi: Jake! What the hell are you doing back here, and why did you knock him out?

Jake simply hooked up his digital eyepatch to his PET and handed them to Kakashi.

Jake: Read the results from this recent dossier match I got.

Kakashi scanned the report and was shocked.

Kakashi: Holy shit! He's an A-rank missing-nin? And he worked for Akatsuki as well as Orochimaru? That's it, I'm having the Hokage cancel the Chunin exams. The security has just been undermined and breached.

Jake: No. The exams must go on as planned. Besides, I have a sneaking suspicion that there are other sound nin in there working for Orochimaru. There's a reason I couldn't wait for the forest of death.

Kakashi: Are you nuts? The Forest of Death has incurred many a fatality-- Ohhhh. Wait a minute! I can't let you go in there and intentionally kill them!

Jake simply laughed.

Jake: Kakashi, Here's my Dog tags. Insert them into the reader and find out just what sort of experience I'm hiding from you.

Skeptical, Kakashi inserted one of Jake's dog tags into the PET 's Dog Tag reader. Suddenly, a flood of information came into the screen. Kakashi's eyes widened when his Sharingan eye picked out a few key words and phrases, such as "NATO Experimental Child Soldier Program", "U.S. Army Delta Force", "United Kingdom Special Air Service(S.A.S)", "Sayeret Matkal"(One of the Israeli Defense Force's Special Reconaissance units), and "Mossad"(The Israeli version of the CIA). Then it hit him. Kakashi mentally slapped himself for not seeing it. Where else would Jake's vast knowledge of weaponry, tactics, technology, stealth, and survival come from? Jake was just a Genin, yet as he had seen on the bridge, Jake could put an unwieldy RPG warhead square into the rotating barrels of a Minigun.

Jake: Well, are you impressed?

Kakashi: I'm shocked, too. It says here you were in a 'Child Soldier Program'. Does that mean...

Jake: Yes. I have seen the horrors of modern warfare. I know what it's like to see a friend die right in front of my eyes. I know the anguish of waiting for a delayed medevac while the life bleeds out of a comrade's wound. And it is for those reasons I am anxious to get to the Forest of Death. I will kill those who intend to bring harm to my friends and current home, whose inhabitants have been mostly kind to me. I will kill the enemy before they kill me or my friends.

Kakashi stopped Jake when he registered the words "mostly kind". Something was up.

Kakashi: Back up, Jake. Did you say "Mostly kind"? I need you to tell me what the villagers who were unkind to you.

Jake then proceeded to explain what happened the night he was closing up the shop. Kakashi seethed with anger by the time Jake was done. How dare those villagers assault a guest! A Genin who had done nothing wrong, nonetheless! Jake just wanted to make his teammate's life easier, and what does he get? A beating in which he is forced to defend himself!

Kakashi: All right. I'll go settle this matter. Now go back into the classroom. The exam's about to start.

As Jake gathered his items, he saluted Kakashi and ran back inside the room. The test went on after Ibiki explained the rules. Team 7 stealthily shared the answers with each other using their PETs. by the end of the exam, a fourth of the participants were ejected because of Haku, who had become a Chunin assisting in the exam's operation. At the end of the exam, a woman dressed in fishnet clothing and a jacket came into the room eating dumpling off of a stick. She identified herself as Mitarashi Anko, and announced that they were to follow her for the second part of the exam. The occupants of the room filed out, Jake already having put on his sneaking suit. When they arrived outside the Forest of Death, Jake recited the profane version of Psalm 23 that his Superior officer back in his Delta Force days had told him and his comrades to recite.

Jake: Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for I am the baddest motherfucker in the valley!

Many of the foreign shinobi around him stepped away from him. He had very much managed to rattle them, and considering that he had many a gun, they did not want to mess with him. The entire group of participants stopped at the chain-link fence. Anko explained that they were to fill out waivers. When she explained that the forest of death had a high mortality rate, Jake scoffed, and it sort of turned into an insult.

Jake: Pfff, the Forest of Death. Whoop-dee-friggin'-do.

At this, Anko threw a Kunai at Jake's body intending to shut him up. It lodged itself in his armor, but Anko was beginning to freak out when she thought of all the paperwork she'd have to do. Jake, however, snapped her out of her thoughts.

Jake: Come on, my grandmother throws better than that. And she's 90!

Jake looped some fishing line into the Kunai's handle ring, and in the blink of an eye, made the knife lodge itself in a tree, narrowly missing Anko, and cutting off a few strands of her hair. Jake flicked his wrist, and the Kunai zipped back to his hand, and Jake sheathed the knife. Team 7 soon filled out their waivers and proceeded into the Forest of Death. When they were inside the fences, they quickly made plans.

Jake: Ok, guys. I'm going to split off and get us an earth scroll. When I have completed the objective, I'll radio in, and you guys give me a location of where we're supposed to meet. If you guys need backup, or if one of you is hurt, do not hesitate to call me. We're using encrypted burst-transmission, so we won't be easily spied on. I'll join up with you when I radio in. Remember to take to the treetops as much as possible to aviod being spotted, and equip suppressors. I should be the only one whose gunfire can be heard.

The team agreed to the conditions, and the other 5 members of Team 7 started taking to tree branches while Jake equipped his stealth camouflage and went off in search of someone to kill. His first target was the Sound village trio. Jake chambered a round into his AKS-74U and snuck up on them. The trio was taking a rest in a clearing, and Jake began pulling Claymore mines out of his backpack and surrounding the trio in them. Meanwhile, Zaku was ranting and bitching about what had happened in the classroom.

Zaku: I still can't believe that gun-crazy son of a bitch had the nerve to send me flying across the room with that popgun of his! I'm gonna make him pay!

The girl in the group, Kin, was getting annoyed with Zaku's bitching. So, she decided to have a little fun and aggravate him even more.

Kin: Well, it's your fault for being such a hothead.

Zaku: Woman, don't you dare call me a hothead!

Suddenly, their mummy-esque teammate, Dosu piped up to inform them of something.

Dosu: Hey, guys, I just saw a weird-looking box. It doesn't look like it was there before.

All three of them got up, and Dosu led them to the object that caught his eye.

Zaku: Hey, there's some writing on it. What's it say?

Dosu leaned in for a closer look.

Dosu: "Front Towards Enemy"... Oh, Shi-

"BOOM" went the mine as it sprayed shrapnel into Dosu's face, killing him. Kin and Zaku were tossed around the clearing by the other Claymore mines that were being set off both remotely and via infrared sensors. Over 2000 pieces of shrapnel were dispensed in that short period of time. Kin and Zaku barely managed to stand up after all those explosions, and suddenly, rapid gunfire tore Zaku to pieces. Kin was rightfully freaked out at this point, trying to crawl away from the carnage.

Kin: Jesus Christ! My comrades are dead, their corpses bloody and mutilated... Not my scene, man! Not my scene!

Jake's voice spoke, his exact location not revealed.

Jake: What a shame, Kin, dearie. You've done some very bad things in your life, and now you're paying the price for it...

Kin: I'm sorry! Please, forgive me! I was only following orders!

Jake: Funny. The Nazis said the same thing. Look what happened to them. Time to die, little girl. Hounds of Hell, Take this one's soul to the fiery depths.

Immediately, Jake's snarling hounds leapt out of the bushes and pounced on Kin. Her horrified screams were cut short when the large dogs ripped the vocal cords out of her neck. Once they consumed her body, only leaving her Hitai-ate, they did the same to Dosu and Zaku's bodies. However, the hounds were commanded by Jake to stay outside of his body until he was satisfied. He picked up the earth scroll that the sound trio had.

Jake: So I've got the scroll, but I've still got a whole lot more killing to do. What's a few hours more? It'll seem like I actually worked for it. Come, my hounds. Today, you will most definitely feast on the blood of the damned.

The trio of master and hounds went off into the woods. What they didn't know was that a certain snake sannin had seen the entire thing.

Orochimaru: Hmm, so it looks like Team 7 has more than one demon. This foreigner is interesting, and I will definitely want him on my side.

What he didn't know was that Jake could hear what he said.

Jake: Foolish Orochimaru, my body's already been possessed. By the way, I am already immortal, and you're on the top of my list. You were due in hell years ago.

Orochimaru was mortified. not only had he somehow revealed himself, but also provoked the Grim Reaper or something. Frustrated, Orochimaru leapt at Jake and bit him, in an attempt to give him the cursed seal. The cursed seal never formed, and this only served to enrage Jake and the Foxhound of hell.

Jake: Moronic snake! Never bite the one possessed by the Foxhound of hell! You have signed your death warrant! Be prepared, for I may take your life, or even better, your soul, at any time I please. For a genius, you have been slipping in your old age.

With that, Jake stuck his SPAS-12 into Orochimaru's chest and pulled the trigger. Orochimaru was sent flying in the same manner as Zaku, and Orochimaru was knocked unconscious when his head hit a thick branch. By the time he came to, Jake was nowhere to be found. However, gunfire, explosions, and screams of horror could be heard all around the forest.

Orochimaru: Damn that Foxhound! Now I must be even more careful! I must complete my goal before he finds me again.

Orochimaru then jumped off into the darkness. Meanwhile, Jake had just killed off some more Sound Ninja that were under the guise of being Konoha Ninja.

Jake: All right, I'd say that's plenty of kills for this test. Come back, hounds.

With that, the Hounds of Hell leapt into Jake's body and fused with it. When the dogs were nowhere to be seen, Jake collapsed to the ground. That Jutsu had cost him a lot of Chakra and strength, and it always left him tired. Remembering his own advice, he ate two chocolate bars, and as he listened to his Ipod to regain Chakra, he radioed in to Team 7.

Jake: Harrelson to Team 7. Team 7, come in, over.

At once, he got a response from Naruto.

Naruto: It's about time! You have the scroll, right?

Jake: The scroll is safe and with me.

Naruto: Good. Meet us at Ichidaime Hokage(First Hokage) creek. It runs through the Forest of De--(static)

Jake became alarmed at the sudden cut-off of communication. Immediately, he smacked a fresh magazine into his AKS-74U and dashed off towards Naruto's location, which he could find via the GPS transmitter on the radio he gave to the rest of Team 7. Suddenly, Sasuke's voice came over the radio, and gunfire could be heard in the background.

Sasuke: Jake, we're under attack by Rock village ninja, and they have intent to kill! Permission to return fire?

Jake: Permission granted, seeing as some of you guys are shooting. Don't wipe them out, just make 'em retreat.

Sasuke: Thanks! Oh, Damn! There's more of them! We need your help, Jake!

Jake: On my way, Sasuke. Out.

Jake sprinted to the location of the firefight, and as the gunfire got louder, Jake engaged Stealth camouflage. What he saw worried him. Team 7 was barely holding out against the Rock ninja, many of whom turned out to be mere Shadow clones. Jake took the safety off of his AKS-74U, attached a supressor, and began firing away at the real Rock ninjas. Soon, the Rock nin were forced to retreat, but near the end of the battle, Orochimaru appeared and attacked the group. Summoning a huge snake, Jake attached a specialized grenade launcher developed by the Russians for the AKS-74U to his gun and killed the snake with one grenade to the head. However, it was just enough time for Orochimaru to leap over Team 7 and bite Sasuke in the neck. Team 7 turned their attention to Orochimaru and pumped him full of lead. However, Orochimaru managed to flee, albeit dripping blood. The team turned their attention to Sasuke, and Jake already had a special extraction syringe from his medical kit insrted into the bite wounds. Sakura was concerned.

Sakura: Jake, what happened to Sasuke?

Jake: That snake-guy we just saw is after Sasuke for reasons I don't know. however, I noticed he was trying to give Sasuke the cursed seal, which will apparently corrupt Sasuke with power at the price of his body's deterioration.

Naruto: How do you know this?

Jake: Because that guy is the rogue sannin, Orochimaru. I once met the toad sannin, Jiraya, and he told me about him. Also, Orochimaru tried to do the same to me. Now be quiet. I'm going to take that damned Cursed Seal virus away.

Jake watched the small screen mounted to his digital extraction syringe. As soon as it targeted the virus, Jake pulled the plunger up, and the Cursed seal forming on Sasuke's neck got sucked into the syringe, which was now sealed and ready to be delivered to a lab for analysis. Sakura and Naruto looked at Jake, amazed that he could prove the existence of the sannin. Netto and Meiru were somewhat interested, too. This sounded like a big deal. Sasuke was now resting, his bite wound sterilized and bandaged, courtesy of Jake's medical kit.

Naruto: I've heard stories about the legendary sannin, but I didn't know they were true!

Sakura: Please, Jake, tell us how you met him!

Jake: Fine. It all started 10 months before Netto, Meiru and I came to Konoha.

**Flashback**

A white-haired, oddly dressed man with traditional wooden sandals was running away from a Geisha bar manager that was chasing him.

Manager: Come back here, you dirty old man! You're not allowed to touch my ladies like you did, and I'm gonna kick your ass for that!

Suddenly, The white-haired man disappeared from sight. Jiraya had found he had been yanked into an alley by a young boy who was willing to help him escape and lay low at his apartment. As they walked to the apartment, they had introduced themselves to each other. Jiraya thanked the boy, who had introduced himself as Jacob Harrelson.

Jiraya: Hey, thanks, Jake. I owe you.

Jake: It's nothing, Jiraya-san. I'm just willing to help out a man in need.

Jiraya: Jake, I can repay you by teaching you some martial arts techniques. You interested?

Jake: Sure! I need to learn how to defend myself better. I tend to rely on weapons.

Jiraya: Good. I have a feeling this will work out for both of us.

**End flashback**

Jake: And thus, I learned what Chakra is, and I learned Shushin No Jutsu as well as the Rasengan before I even went to Konoha. Naruto, if we meet Jiraya anytime soon, I'll have him teach you the Rasengan. Hey, Naruto, you ok?

All eyes turned to Naruto, who was beginning to wobble. He didn't seem to be doing so well.

Naruto: I'm... just... fine...

With those words, Naruto fell out of the tree, and Jake quickly caught him. Sakura was worried.

Sakura: Jake, what happened to Naruto?

Jake immediately felt Naruto's forehead. It was burning hot. Jake's tone immediately became grim.

Jake: I think he's dehydrated, and he has one hell of a fever. Check Sasuke. I fear the same may have happened to him.

Sakura touched her hand to Sasuke's head. She drew back her hand quickly, feeling how hot it was.

Sakura: Oh my god! He's practically burning!

Jake pulled out emergency ice packs that he had in his first aid kit. He tossed one up to Sakura and tinstructed her as to what to do. All six ninja went into the hollowed out trunk of a large tree for shelter as Naruto and Sasuke wer given plenty of fluids, including Gatorade as well as Kool-Aid to keep them hydrated. The sun was going down at this point, and there was no reason for them to hurry at the moment. As Jake set up their MRE rations to start cooking, He radioed in to an outside party, and soon, an ANBU Black Hawk silently came in where Jake had set down a red smoke grenade. An ANBU officer came out to meet Jake, preturbed that he had called them in.

ANBU officer: Kid, you better have a good reason for getting us involved.

Jake: I do. I need you to take this to the medical labs, but run it by the Hokage first. This is an extracted sample of the Cursed Seal virus. Someone tried to infect Uchiha Sasuke.

The ANBU officer paled under his mask. The Cursed Seal was utilized only by the Rogue Sannin, Orochimaru.

Jake: Now I would rather that you not raise a panic that would cancel the exams. We still have to go through with this.

ANBU officer: I understand. We'll get it out of here right away.

And with that, The Cursed Seal sample was whisked away to the Konoha Medical labs, but not before the Hokage was notified. Meanwhile, as Team 7 settled in for the night, Kabuto was being interrogated by Jounin. So far, not much information had been divulged. Kakashi then had the sense to call up Jake and find out some interrogation techniques. Jake replied with a surefire torture technique that involved two magnum revolvers, a .44 Magnum round, and juggling skills. When the technique was used, Kabuto ended up soiling himself and divulging all that he knew. Anything to save his life. Here's how it worked:

Step 1: Load one of either of the revolvers with the single round.

Step 2: Spin both revolvers' cylinders to increase the random chance of igniting the single round. Begin juggling the two guns, making sure that they switch hands, yet at the same time, keep track of the magnum round's position.

Step 3: While juggling, randomly stop to aim revolver at the target's crotch and pull the trigger, and make sure that the shot is not fired right away. Keep the target anxious. Repeat as necessary.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The next day, Team 7 made their way to the goal tower, with Sasuke wondering what the hell happened to him. He grew infuriated when he found out what bit him, but couldn't do anything about it. When they finally made it to the tower, they stayed there, cleaning their weapons and such as the remaining participants came in, battered from many a battle. However, their scratches were nothing compared to that of Team 7, having many powder burn marks on their person from all the rounds they expended. Team 7 was also in serious need of showers, seeing as though they had been in 'the bush' for at least only a day and a half, they looked like they'd gone through an entire tour of duty in Iraq, as if they were in the military. Soon enough, the Hokage addressed the remaining participants and informed Jake out loud that he was no longer allowed to use his weaponry to kill, but rather to maim. Jake was disappointed slightly. Unless he was to fight Gaara, he couldn't use his brand new Depleted Uranium rounds. However, if he was to kill anyone, he would have to use his bare hands, which he was more than capable of. The rest of Team 7, however, was allowed to keep their weapons. Finally, the first fights were announced. The display delighted both contestants because of what it said:

**FIGHT # 1: HARRELSON, JACOB VS. HYUUGA, NEJI**

To be continued...

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I hope you all liked this chapter! Took me quite a few days to finish! Enjoy the preview for the next chapter, First fight!

Preview for Chapter 15: First Fight

Jake prepares to go against the Genius of the Hyuuga family branch house. What sort of fight will this be? Will Jake's weaponry be able to match or surpass Neji's 64 palm and Kaiten techniques? And what sort of mischief takes place when Jake uses his 'Cheap Shot' technique? Humor, action, and adventure, all in the next chapter of "Of Kunai's and PETs"!


	17. 15: First fight

Chapter 15: First Fight

Note to Pyro-chan: Sorry if I went nuts on you. I seriously thought you were flaming me.

As Neji and Jake took their places on the arena floor, everyone else went up to the balcony to watch the fight. Hayate explained the rules, and soon, the fight was on.

Hayate: All right, fellas. Keep it clean. You two may fight to the point where one kills the other, as much as I don't want that, but, if I see that one of you is clearly incapable of fighting, I will not hesitate to end the match and declare a winner. Now, begin!

At once, Jake fired a burst of rounds at Neji, who counteracted with his Hakkesho Kaiten (Heavenly spin). the rounds bounced off, but Jake was not discouraged. Grabbing a magazine wrapped in blue tape, he ejected the current magazine out of the AKS-74U and smacked in the one with blue tape. Jake squeezed the trigger, and this time, the depleted uranium rounds fused with some Chakra blew holes in Neji's Kaiten, the so-called 'Absolute defense'. However, Jake found himself disarmed as he reloaded, for Neji used the reloading delay to attempt finishing Jake off with Hakke Rokujiyuu Yonshou (Eight Trigrams Sixty-four palms). Jake took all 64 blows to the chest, and despite his sneaking suit's armor, ended up with 64 sealed tenketsu. However, Jake wasn't to be outdone.

Jake: Hey, Neji. I hope you have stable footing...

Neji: What? Why? There's no way you can get up!

Jake: I wasn't finished yet. Not by a long shot, because you're about to get a heavy dose of rock n' roll!

Jake reached over to his Ipod, and pressed the skip button. The next song that played was AC/DC's 'Thunderstruck', and Jake was indeed going to bring down the thunder. Jake turned the volume dial up to maximum and sent some of the Chakra flood into the ground. Suddenly, the floor surface under Neji began to vibrate and crack, and Neji was forced to jump back as the floor gave way. Jake jumped up, the flood of Chakra re-opening his tenketsu, and Jake pulled out two 12-shell bracelets of 12-gauge shotgun shells. He wrapped one each of the bracelets around both his left and right wrists. Jake did the hand signs for Shushin no Jutsu and faster than Neji could track, attacked Neji with his special taijutsu move, 144 seals of buckshot, or as Jake had put it before, 12 punches of destruction. It was basically a weapon-infused version of Neji's 64 palms technique, except there were obviously less strikes required to do damage, and that it could actually kill a person. Luckily for Neji, he was resilient despite the loss of a large amount of tenketsu and none of the buckshot had hit any internal organs. The reason it was called the 144 seals of buckshot is because shotgun shells' caliber, or gauge, was measured by how many pieces of shot were inside. And 12 times 12 is 144. Undaunted by the attack, Neji came after Jake with another 64 palm attack. Jake, now having improved reflexes, deflected each punch, and held Neji's hands and Neji's feet with his own, not giving him the oppurtunity to move. Jake spoke to Neji.

Jake: Amazing. No one's ever survived that attack of mine before. In fact, so far, you're the only opponent that's forced me to use an underhanded tactic. This is the end for you. **_Tegaru dangan no Jutsu!_** (Cheap shot Technique)

And with that, Jake created the most memorable moment of the tournament with his next move. He shot his knee upwards and hit Neji in the groin. Neji's eyes widened and became watery, while everyone who saw the move looked at the fight in shock. Asuma's mouth was wide open, causing his cigarette to fall out of his mouth. Jake had released Neji from his grip, and Neji, gripping his crotch in pain, fell to the floor. From there, Jake simply planted his foot on Neji's neck and put the Kunai he had taken from Anko underneath Neji's neck, threatening to slit it.

Jake: Now, say the magic words.

Neji: (squeaky voiced) I give!

After an awkward silence, Hayate cleared his throat to decide the outcome of the match.

Hayate: Um, Hyuuga Neji is unable to continue fighting. Jacob Harrelson is the winner! I think. Now could someone please help Neji to the infirmary?

Jake: I'm already on it.

Everyone turned to see Jake with Neji's arm over his shoulder walking towards the infirmary. Neji was clutching an ice pack to his groin. As the two made their way out, Naruto, as well as Netto and Kiba, were rolling on the floor, laughing their asses off.

Naruto:AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Oh, man! I should've brought a camera! The look on Neji's face was priceless!

Kiba: Yeah, one moment, he's all serious, and the next, bam! He's on the floor crying for momma!

Netto: I would pay to see that again!

Meanwhile, in the infirmary, Neji was talking with Jake.

Neji: Why did you help me? Why didn't you just leave me there and bask in your fated victory over me?

Jake: Mainly because I'm not a fatalist like you. Years ago, I went against fate, and I'm sure you can as well. Many years before I even went to Japan, I was supposedly fated to die in a cold, dark, alley from a Gangster's bullets. Instead, I lived through it and became immortal.

Neji: Immortal?

Jake: Yes. Allow me to explain...

And so, Jake told Neji his story. At the end, Neji had gone through shock, anger, and acceptance in terms of emotions.

Jake: ...So basically, what I'm trying to say is that with even a little faith, you can easily break free of fate and plot your own path. Now, I better get back to the fights. They're probably expecting me back at the balcony. Oh, and sorry for the kick.

Neji: (sigh) It's no problem. You did what you had to do.

As Jake walked over to the Arena, he saw a grass genin being moved to the infirmary on a stretcher.

Jake: What happened to you?

Grass Genin: One of your friends... Kiba, I believe. Him and that mutt of his kicked my ass. You didn't miss much.

Jake: Wow, you're pretty modest.

Grass Genin: I feel I must be. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll pass out now.

Jake simply walked to the Arena balcony as the next fight was going to take place. The display results were interesting.

**FIGHT # 2: TEMARI VS. SAKURAI, MEIRU**

To be continued...

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Sorry if the chapter was short, but please review! Below is the preview for the next chapter, Stun style versus wind style.

Preview for Chapter 15: Stun Style Vs. Wind Style

In this Next Chapter, Meiru shows off the fighting style she claims as her own. Combined with her special weapon, how well will it do against Temari's fan? And will Meiru have to resort to Cross fusion to finish the battle? Find out next time on 'Of Kunais and PETs".


	18. 16: Stun Style vs Wind style

Chapter 16: Stun Style vs. Wind Style

Meiru and Temari went down opposite stairs to their sides of the arena. The Konoha Genin cheered her on as she proceeded to the center of the arena in her current outfit. She was dressed in a pink T-shirt under a navy blue military-issue bulletproof vest capable of stopping a volley of 7.62x39mm rounds and olive-drab Tactical load bearing vest. On her arms were black glove-type Kevlar arm protectors with wrist-mounted kunai launchers, and she wore light brown zip-off cargo shorts and the standard blue ninja sandals of Konoha. Strapped to her back was her favorite Mini-UZI Submachine gun, loaded with rubber bullets, as well as her custom-made crossbow plus recievers covered and wrapped inside camouflage netting. On her vest was her Desert Eagle .50AE handgun loaded with wax bullets, her PET, two scrolls, CO2 powerlets, spare magazines for her guns, smoke grenades, flashbangs, and an extra 100-round drum for her crossbow's machine gun reciever. She wore her hair clip with Roll's symbol on it as well as her Konoha Hitai-ate.

Meiru and Temari met face to face at the inside circle of the arena. They stared each other in the eye before Hayate explained the rules. The match then began.

Hayate: Begin the match!

The two warriors jumped back and Temari unfolded her fan as she saw Meiru chamber a round on her Mini-UZI. Meiru ripped away at Temari on full auto, the rubber bullets getting caught by Temari's fan, which had been modified to protect her from Jake's depleted uranium rounds. However, when Meiru began making groupings on the fan's surface, the fabric began to rip and tear. Meiru switched to her Desert Eagle and drilled an entire magazine into Temari's fan. Meiru then threw down a smoke grenade as well as a flashbang to conceal herself. Temari managed to blow away the smoke using her damaged fan. However, when the smoke cleared, the flashbang detonated, blinding Temari. When her blindness went away, she saw Meiru charge at her, Desert Eagle in hand. Temari immedately pulled out and threw a kunai, which hit Meiru in the chest. The Kunai failed to get past the kevlar armor, and Temari dropped her fan and snapped Meiru's neck. Everyone was horrified to see that Meiru had been murdered in cold blood right in front of their eyes. Netto sank to his knees, reeling from the shock. Suddenly, Meiru's body diappeared in a puff of smoke, replaced by a small Roll.EXE plush doll. Everyone's eyes immediately widened, and Netto got to his feet. Immediately, Temari looked around for Meiru, and saw nothing. Temari only heard the sound of air hissing, and suddenly, an arrow lodged itself into her left shoulder. Temari pulled out the arrow with a grunt, and suddenly, her left arm got a tingling sensation. Temari looked up, and saw Meiru dangling from the ceiling with her sniper-mode crossbow, her legs wrapped around the rafters. Temari got angry and shouted at Meiru.

Temari: Damn it, how did you get up there? Why are you up there! Is that even possible?

Meiru replied smugly.

Meiru: It's not an illegal manuever. As long as I don't set foot in the viewing stands, It's legal. You just don't pay attention to all directions.

Getting back to the fight, Temari made a mad dash for her fan, which was now laying on the ground a few feet away. Meiru, still hanging on the rafter, quickly made the seals for Tajyuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu. At once, 50 clones of Meiru descended from the rafters guns blazing. Temari grabbed her fan and swung it upwards, creating a gust that shoved the Shadow clones into the walls, making them dissapate, but not the Bullets. Temari was once again forced to use her fan as cover while the wax and rubber bullets rained down on her. Getting up after the barrage, Temari quickly tossed a small volley of kunai into the air and propelled them upwards with the wind from her fan. Meiru, meanwhile, had managed to switch out the bolt action mechanism for her machine gun mechanism. Upon seeing the kunai hurtling towards her, Meiru attached a grappling hook to the rafter and began descending intentionally down a rope as she fired her Machine gun crossbow at Temari.

Meiru:(thinking) I better end this A.S.A.P. If this keeps up, I might have to use Crossfusion, and that's an absolute last resort option! I need to save that for the finals!

Meiru's thoughts were interrupted when a kunai vut her line and sent her to thr ground. The falling act was just a ruse, however, because the Meiru on the rappeling line was a shadow clone. Temari was dumbfounded.

Temari: Where did that sneaky-ass redhead go?

Meiru: Right behind you.

Temari didn't even get to turn around, because Meiru had clasped her hands together in the '1000 year's pain' position and thrust her fingers into the area of Temari's head where the skull meets the spine. Meiru had hit a pressure point, and Temari suddenly closed her eyes and dropped to the ground, unconscious. The match was over. Kankuro, up in the stands, didn't want the words to come, but they did.

Hayate: Subaku no Temari is unable to continue. Meiru Sakurai is the winner.

As Temari's unconscious form was carried off to the infirmary, Meiru smiled modestly as her teammates and friends congratulated her.

Naruto: Awesome job with the Kage bunshins, Meiru-chan!

Jake: Friggin' sweet crossbow, I gotta say.

Netto: Way to go, Meiru-chan! I knew you could do it!

Kakashi went up to her, a smile evident by his closed eye and his cheek muscles protruding against his mask.

Kakashi: That fight was amazing, Meiru-chan. Is that your own style?

Meiru: Yup! I call it stun style, because it is based around immobilizing my opponent and knocking him or her unconscious rather than killing.

Kakashi: An appropriate name. What's in those arrows of yours? I've never seen arrows fired out of a machine gun before.

Meiru: I picked up these arrows at the weapons shop that TenTen's family owns. I modified them to hold syrettes loaded with my special blend of anesthetic and sedative. It makes ya numb and knocks you out!

Kakashi chuckled. Clearly, it was possible for his quiet student to show off her spunkiness if you riled her up enough. All eyes turned to the computer screen when Hayate announced that the next battle would be a special tag-team battle, with two ninja on each team. The results were interesting, even shocking to some.

**FIGHT # 3: HIKARI NETTO & NARA SHIKAMARU VS. ABURAME SHINO & AKIMICHI CHOUJI**

To be continued...

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Alas, another short chapter, but don't worry! The next chapter should prove to be interesting. review, and read the preview below for the next chapter, Tag Team Special!

preview for Chapter 17: Tag Team Special!

In this next chapter, one of the most memorable battles of the Chunin exam begins. A special tag team battle, with the Blue Bomber and Konoha's Lazy Genius on one side, and The Bug Genius and The Human Freight Train on the other. Which side will emerge victorious? Find out next time!


	19. 17: Tagteam Special!

Chapter 17: Tag Team Special!

Shikamaru and Netto went down the stairs to the arena, Netto being far more excited than Shikamaru. Shikamaru was extremely unwilling to fight, because not only would he have to exert certain effort, but he would also have to fight his best friend, which he found troublesome. Netto, on the other hand, had no qualms about fighting. He knew the ninja of Konoha would be supportive, no matter who wins or loses. The two opposing teams arrived at the center of the arena, where they got into battle-ready stances. As soon as Hayate began the match, Shikamaru and Netto jumped back. The two shared a plan for battle, but not before Netto dropped a smoke grenade to conceal their position. However, Shino had managed to send one of his bugs to find out what Netto and Shikamaru were planning.

Netto: Shikamaru, since I've got a grenade launcher and plenty of hand grenades, I'll provide some cover fire. How's that sound?

Shikamaru: As long as you've got some flashbang grenades, We can make a plan work to our advantage.

Netto: All right! Time for me to rock and roll!

Netto grabbed the ArmsCor Mk. 1 semi-auto grenade launcher on his back. Normally a six-shot grenade launcher, Netto re-tooled it to fire from a belt. Netto crouched down in front of Shikamaru and began firing grenades into the air, sweeping the muzzle from left to right. Shino, meanwhile, blinked, and suddenly he was on Omaha Beach at Normandy, France, on June 6, 1944. As he looked to his side, he saw a soldier get blown away by an artillery round, the soldier's body getting cleaved in half. Shino was mortified. There was no way this could be real. Shino was suddenly convinced that it was when a bullet sliced through his shoulder. He was then knocked off his feet and back to reality by an explosion that occurred in front of him. He opened his eyes, finding himself back in the arena. Chouji was screaming at him. Shino smacked his ears so that he could hear better.

Chouji: SHINO! GET BEHIND SOME GODDAMN COVER! THAT KID WITH THE GRENADE LAUNCHER HAS US DIALED IN! HE USED A GENJUTSU ON YOU!

At once, Shino scrambled to get behind an upturned piece of the floor and jumped behind it just as another 40mm shell hit the ground, sending more debris flying. As he crouched behind the rock, he thought about the Genjutsu Netto had cast. It was impressively horrifying and realistic. Suddenly, Shino had no more time to think when he heard the clatter of two M26 fragmentation grenades landing in front of him. Shino was thrown upwards and Netto stuck something in Shino's coat pocket before shoving him towards Chouji. Chouji caught Shino, only to find that Netto had stuck a grenade wrapped in C4 in Shino's pocket. It exploded, sending the two flying apart once again. Shino retaliated, sending Chakra bugs towards Netto, who flung a six-pack of Molotov Cocktails at the bugs. Though the bugs were set on fire, a substantial number managed to engulf Netto and suck his Chakra out, ruining Shikamaru's plan. Suddenly, Netto disappeared in a puff of smoke. It was A Kage Bunshin! The real Netto was up on the rafters, and was lighting a string that looked to be attached to... A huge ball made of grenades, cherry bombs, and C4. As Netto dropped the huge cluster bomb, Chouji dove over to the mesmerized Shino and activated his family technique.

Chouji: Meat Tank!

As Chouji's body swelled in size, he covered Shino from the incoming explosives. What he didn't see was that upon closer inspection, there were flash tags stuck to some of the grenades, and when the cluster bomb bounced off Chouji, it exploded in midair, making the arena awash in a small amount of shrapnel and light. Shikamaru used the chance to use his Kagemane no jutsu against both members of the opposing team as Netto tagged him in. Shino, realizing that he still had a chance, sent more Chakra bugs to feed on the shadow that Shikamaru produced, in turn draining the Lazy Genius' Chakra. Netto, noticing Shikamaru beginning to weaken, quickly thought of a way to buy some time to use what he considered to be a battle-ending jutsu. He quickly tossed an assortment of grenades at Shino. The grenades exploded in a preset order by Netto's remote detonator. First, a flashbang, then a frag grenade, followed by a Smoke grenade, and finally, a CS Gas grenade. The combination caused Shino and his bugs to back off and be obscured as to what was happening behind the smoke. Because of the gas and smoke, Shino closed his eyes to avoid any ill effects. When he opened them, he found himself inside a holographic dome inside the arena, all the fighters still involved, but this time, a blue-clad boy had joined the fight. Unbeknownst to Shino, and everyone else, Netto had managed to turn his Navi, Rockman.EXE, into a summon. Rockman was waiting for orders from Netto.

Rockman: What do you need me to do, Netto-kun?

Netto: Focus on the guy with the bugs, Rockman. Remember what I taught you. If he multiplies, infuse your Charge shot with Chakra and run it through a spreader cannon, which I have already slotted in.

The rest of Team 7 was shocked. Navis had Chakra systems? No way!

Netto: Shikamaru! Now!

Remembering an earlier plan, Shikamaru released Shino but kept Chouji in his Shadow Bind. Shino didn't have much time to take advantage of his freedom because Rockman fired a Rockbuster shot at him, followed by two more. Shino unintentionally played right into Netto's hands and made Bug Bunshins of himself. Rockman did what he was told.

Rockman: Spreader chip, download! Fusion Charge Shot!

Rockman's buster changed into a spreader cannon, with which he held a charge shot and infused with a small amount of Chakra from his recently-discovered inner coils. When he was satisfied, Rockman let the special Charge Shot loose, sending at least 10 small and bright lasers at Shino and his clones. 9 of them dissapated with one of the small-yet-powerful shots each. Shino took a heavy amount of damage from the last of the small Chakra-infused shots, the small orb of energy knocking him back and burning through his clothing to the point where a small patch of bare skin could be seen on his now-unconscious form.

Netto: Well done Rockman! You sure showed him!

Rockman: It wasn't anything special...

Meanwhile, Shikamaru's attention was focused on Chouji. Not wanting to hurt his best friend, Shikamaru ended the battle rather anticlimactically by simply moving to a particular side of the field and backwards. Since the Shadow Bind forced Chouji to mirror Shikamaru's movement, he ended up walking backwards up the stairs to the viewing stand, leaving the combat area. Shikamaru had won on a technicality.

Hayate: Because Akimichi Chouji left the combat zone and Aburame Shino was incapacitated, Nara Shikamaru and Hikari Netto win the tag-team match!

Everyone in the stands cheered. Though Shikamaru ended the match in a rather dull way, Netto's fireworks show and finishing jutsu had more than made up for it. As the two made their way back up the stairs, they congratulated and complimented each other.

Netto: Good planning, Shikamaru! I couldn't have won that battle without you!

Shikamaru: Hey, it's nothing. Thanks for not complaining about my laziness.

As the two situated themselves in the stands, they watched the battle computer select the contestants for the next match, which was also going to be a tag team battle, so that things would speed up. The results, once again, were something of interest.

**FIGHT # 4: SHINKATOMA TENTEN & HYUUGA HINATA VS. YAMANAKA INO & HARUNO SAKURA**

To be Continued...

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Alas, I somehow ended up with another short chapter. I might as well tell you all that the preliminary Chunin exam fights are more likely than not going to be short but sweet chapters. Hopefully, the crap will be over, and my writing will soon get better. Anyway, remember to review, and below is the usual preview for the next chapter, All-Kunoichi Super Battle!

Preview for Chapter 18: All-Kunoichi Super Battle!

In the next chapter, Two rivals team up against a Byakugan-wielder and a weapons mistress. Which side will come out victorious? Meanwhile, can Hinata draw strength from Naruto's spirit and presence, and will their love for each other boost it? Find out next time!


	20. 18: All Kunoichi Super Battle!

Chapter 18: All-Kunoichi Super Battle!

The four Kunoichi that had been summoned from the stands to battle walked down stairs on opposite sides of the arena. On Team 7's side, Sakura and Ino had wrapped their hitai-ate around their foreheads, a sign that the gloves were off. The two made an agreement as they walked onto the arena floor.

Ino: Look, Sakura. I know that you don't like me, and that I'm at odds with you. But, will you agree that we work together so that we'll both make it to the finals?

Sakura turned and smirked at Ino.

Sakura: Sure. Then, we'll see who's stronger.

Ino: Good. Now, I'll take on Hinata while you deal with TenTen. She's got weapons, and so do you.

Sakura: I thought you'd never ask. This battle also decides who's the better shot, and which one of us is outgunned.

The pink-haired Kunoichi cocked her FN P90 and set the fire selector to full auto. As soon as the battle begins, her main purpose is to keep TenTen's head down. A 50-round magazine should be enough to do that, as long as she reloads quickly. Meanwhile, on the other side, Hinata watched as TenTen pulled out the MP5 Replica AEG that was strapped to her back. It may have been an Airsoft gun, but TenTen knew how to make it work to her advantage. TenTen was wearing a Tactical vest chock full of magazines of ammunition for her guns, as well as two scrolls to summon even more weapons. Sitting in the crossdraw holster on her vest was a Full Automatic Gas Blowback Glock 18 replica machine pistol, which held a 40-round high capacity magazine. TenTen had developed a technique that would allow her to mop up in battle using nothing but Airsoft weaponry and a lot of .2 gram 6mm BB's. The preliminary battles would be the best place for beta-testing. As TenTen slapped a ridiculously large 300-round Hi-cap magazine into her MP5, she turned to her tag-team partner to ask a question.

TenTen: Hinata-san, is it all right with you if I copy off your family's fighting style and integrate it into my weapons?

Hinata: W-What do you mean?

TenTen: I'm going to inject chakra into every shot I fire. And considering the size of ammunition, I'll end up sealing someone's tenketsu.

Hinata: Oh... I see now. Sure, it's fine. I have a feeling it'll impress Neji-nii-san anyway. He'll be watching from a TV in the infirmary.

TenTen: That reminds me, I sure hope he's ok. Jake's Cheap Shot Technique was simple but brutal. I don't want Neji-kun to have a broken 'gun' on our honeymoon, if things get that far.

Hinata quickly put two and two together, and her eyes widened and her face became extremely red.

Hinata: T-TenTen-san! Since when did you have such dirty thoughts about my cousin?

TenTen noticed her battle partner's condition and question, and the weapons mistress sweatdropped.

TenTen: Eep! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say that out loud!

Soon, Hayate began the battle, and both TenTen and Ino dropped back so that their gun-wielding teammates could shoot it out. As Sakura took aim at TenTen's limbs, TenTen quickly threw down a kevlar and titanium barrier that just managed to pop-up in time to barely stop the armor-piercing 5.7mm rounds. Somehow, the piece of cover managed to hold as Sakura drilled the barrier with her FN P90. However, Sakura emptied her magazine in the process, though, and she was forced to reload. TenTen took the chance to pummel Sakura with Chakra-infused BB's from her MP5. The 6mm spherical rounds rendered Sakura's bulletproof vest useless because of the shape of the round. Sakura kept moving, however, and managed to avoid a decent amount of shots because Airsoft BB's typically travel at 200-300 feet per second. Compared to the typical supersonic round from a real gun, that's rather slow. TenTen threw down more bulletproof shields, and soon, she and Sakura were fighting in close quarters, bullets and BB's whizzing above their heads. TenTen broke the stalemate by throwing a flashbang around a corner, which Sakura noticed too late. While the pink-haired Kunoichi was disoriented, TenTen drilled a 30-round burst into Sakura's back. Despite the pain of the Chakra-infused projectiles sealing her tenketsu, Sakura quickly chambered the first round on her new magazine and rolled over to start firing at TenTen. TenTen felt the sting of the bullets when the rounds hit her in the shoulders and leg. Both of them jumped back and tagged in their hand-to-hand combat partners. Immediately, Hinata and Ino were locked in a fierce close-quarters kunai fight. Eventually, the two jumped back after sustaining so many knife wounds. Hinata, in particular, was worried.

Hinata: TenTen-san, I'm sorry! I'm not fighting well enough, and I'm dragging down our team.

TenTen: Hinata-san, please don't be so hard on yourself. Plus, Naruto believes you can do it. Look!

Hinata looked to the stands and saw Naruto shouting encouragement towards her.

Naruto: KEEP FIGHTING, HINATA-CHAN! YOU CAN DO IT! I BELIEVE IN YOU!

Hinata smiled, her courage and strength renewed. Tenten smiled at her and tossed Hinata her Glock 18 Machine pistol.

Tenten: You've heard of CQC, right, Hinata-chan?

Hinata: Yes. I've seen it used a lot when Neji-nii-san played Metal Gear Solid 3. I know the moves.

Tenten: Good. Let's finish this together.

Meanwhile, on Sakura's side, Sakura handed her Beretta M92FS to Ino.

Sakura: Ino, this is where all those hours of playing MGS3 pay off.

Ino: CQC?

Sakura: You betcha. Let's go!

And so, the two teams rushed at each other and collided in the middle of the field. Before they met, though, Tenten dropped a smoke bomb, and when it cleared, Hinata had her kunai to Ino's throat, and Tenten had reversed Sakura's FN P90, the gun now in Tenten's possession and aimed at Sakura's head while she was on the ground. Ino and Sakura yielded, giving the match to Hinata and Tenten. Want to know what really happened?

When the smoke bomb detonated, Hinata took on Ino. Hinata used the Glock 18 in her hand to shoot the Kunai out of Ino's left hand. Then, Hinata grabbed the Beretta while Ino still had a firm grip on it and ejected the magazine as well as the chambered round. She swung herself around Ino and put the Kunai to the blonde's throat. Meanwhile, Tenten had simply smacked the barrel of Sakura's P90 over the Pink-haired girl's shoulder and caught it in her own hands as soon as she was behind Sakura. Tenten delivered a kick to Sakura's chest and pinned her to the ground, the barrel pointing at her face.

Sakura: Well Ino, We did our best and were still beaten. As long as we gave it our all, that's what matters.

Ino: Yeah, but who knew Hinata-chan played MGS3 as well?

Meanwhile, Tenten and Hinata visited Neji in the infirmary. He was doing a lot better now, and would just wait it out until the end of the preliminaries. Neji drew Tenten into a hug, something that had surprised the weapons mistress. When he let go, the two talked about Tenten's technique.

Neji: Tenten-chan, I saw what you did with your airsoft guns. I'm proud of you.

Tenten: Well, I really meant it more as an homage, but thank you!

Neji: M-Maybe sometime after the preliminaries, w-would you like to go out to dinner with me?

Tenten smiled slightly when Neji suddenly acted like his formerly-timid cousin, blushing slightly. She looked to Hinata, and Hinata smiled and nodded.

Tenten: I will, Neji-kun. You don't have to be timid.

Neji silently rejoiced and behaved normally again. In the span of an hour, Chopper Lee was defeated by his teammate, Scott "Boomer" Wiley, Rachel Wagner was defeated by Kankuro, and many of the other genin from the 6-man teams were defeating each other, many of them not making it to the finals. Finally, out of those left who had yet to battle were Rock Lee, Gaara, Akado Yoroi, Tsurugi Misumi, Sasuke, and Naruto. The next selection for the next battle was for a tag-team battle. The results would make for yet another memorable battle.

**FIGHT # 10: UCHIHA SASUKE & UZUMAKI NARUTO VS. AKADO YOROI & TSURUGI MISUMI**

To be continued...

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I hope you all lliked this chapter! Review, and below is the preview for the next chapter, Buddy Cop show!

Preview for Chapter 19: Buddy Cop Show!

In the next chapter, Naruto and Sasuke team up against two of Orochimaru's disguised minions. Knowing that they can take on anything in their way, they decide to make a show of if by donning detective outfits complete with long-sleeve white shirts, black ties, shoulder holsters, fedora hats, and the occasional toothpick in the mouth. Packing nothing but two handguns and some spare ammo each, they must work together to win the battle in style. So sit back, relax with a drink, and turn up the jazz, because the next chapter's going to become one wild ride!


	21. 19: Buddy Cop Special!

Chapter 19: Buddy Cop Special!

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As the four constestants of the next tag team battle descended the stairs, one couldn't help but notice that Naruto and Sasuke were clad in detective outfits that included rolled-up sleeves on their shirts, fedoras, shoulder holsters, slacks, and black shoes. Sasuke even went so far as to stick a toothpick into his mouth as he loaded his Glock 17 handgun. In his left shoulder holster was a six-inch barrel Colt Python .357 handgun, the perfect yet ironically-named weapon for decapitating any snake in the grass(hint, hint.). Naruto was loading his .45 Caliber STI Eagle 6.0 M1911A1, normally used as a target shooting competition pistol. In his other holster was a Glock 18 machine pistol which had 5 spare 30-round magazines. With both of them carrying Glock pistols, they could share ammunition as necessary. Meanwhile, Yoroi and Misumi were looking at the two funny. Just what the hell were these two planning? Naruto looked to Jake to start some music to set the mood. Jake obliged, and as Hayate was about to start the match, Jake piped 'Tank!'(Cowboy Bebop theme) from his Ipod to the arena speakers, having gained permisssion to do so. Hayate began the match, and Naruto and Sasuke jumped back a little bit to taunt their opponents.

Naruto: I assure you guys that we'll have defeated you by the end of this song!

Yoroi: Try and back that up, then, punk!

At once, the four combatants rushed each other, Naruto grasping a kunai in his left hand. After the lesson on crossfusion, Jake had taught him CQC, a type of close-quarters hand to hand combat technique done with a gun and knife. With both, it was easy to switch from a gunfight to a knife fight in a split second. Naruto tended to favor the gun, but being proficient with both, He decided to psyche out Yoroi.

Naruto: Better think fast! C'mon, what am I gonna attack with? Decide! Hurry! Hurry! Hurry! Hurry!

Yoroi was beginning to freak out. Konoha's number 1 unpredictable ninja was about to attack him with weapons that had the possibility to kill him with one hit if used properly. He attempted to lunge at the kunai arm to drain the boy's chakra, and Naruto put a .45 caliber slug into Yoroi's left shoulder for his efforts. Yoroi reeled back, bleeding from a major artery and doing his best to stop it. Meanwhile, Sasuke had been entangled by Misumi's limbs. When Misumi noticed that Sasuke didn't struggle, he suspected something was amiss and then felt the barrel of Sasuke's Glock 17 poke him in the belly before The Last Uchiha himself emptied an entire clip into his stomach. Misumi stumbled back to where Yoroi was, bleeding from 17 holes in his stomach, barely standing. Naruto dashed up to the two and sent them flying into the air, where as soon as Naruto and Sasuke pulled out their more powerful weapons, were pummeled by a flurry of 9mm and .357 Magnum bullets as if they were clay piegons on a shooting range. When they landed on the ground, Misumi was unconscious while Yoroi reached out his hand to siphon some chakra to heal his wounds. Naruto looked down at Yoroi as if he were a sort of offending insect. Naruto silently produced a kunai and pinned Yoroi's arm to the ground with it. Yoroi screamed in pain, but Naruto was beyond considering mercy at this point. All those pent up feelings of anger, anguish, and hatred that were stemming from being hated and beaten and picked on by the villagers were releasing themselves in this gruesome display of violence. Naruto finally silenced Yoroi for good by emptying an entire magazine of 9mm ammunition from his Glock 18 into Yoroi's skull, which had been reduced to a red and pink mass of pulp. Sasuke, meanwhile, said something before executing Misumi, whose chest was planted under his boot.

Sasuke: You are a pathetic wretch of an obstacle. I'm sure you won't mind if I clear you out of my way.

With that, Sasuke fired his last magnum round into Misumi's face, killing him. Hayate ended the match, declaring Sasuke and Naruto the winners. The two blew away the smoke wafting from the barrels of their guns, holstered them, and calmly walked up the stairs, unaware of the stares they were bring given. The next battle announced itself to be the final match, Rock Lee vs. Gaara.

Now since I don't remember all the details, I'm not going to bother writing the details of the fierce fight between Gaara and Rock Lee. However, Jake used his Solid Eye System to check on Rock Lee's vitals. What he saw frightened him. He immediately spoke to Gai about the matter.

Jake: Gai-san, I just made a diagnostic scan on Lee. With the severe beating he's taking, he's going to get a serious, possibly career-ending spinal injury!

Gai: No! Not my cute student! I will stop this match immediately!

The two hopped down from the viewing stands, Gai leading so that Jake wouldn't get in trouble. As Gaara was about to attempt the Desert coffin on Lee, Jake fired off an entire magazine from his AKS-74U, causing Gaara to attempt defending himself. Luckily, these rounds weren't depleted uranium, but they came awfully close to his face through the sand. Gai then spoke.

Gai: To prevent my student from getting further injury, I am pulling him out of the exams. I am hoping my remaining student will be allowed to continue.

Hayate: She will, Gai-san. But now, I have to declare that the winner of this match is Subaku no Gaara, and the Preliminary rounds are now over. In a few minutes, the results of who will be going against whom in the finals will be announced.

The genin in the stands came down to the arena floor. Some watched as Jake confronted Gaara, others looked away, sensing some serious bloodshed. Jake marched up to Gaara, a reloaded AKS-74U in hand. Using one arm, Jake effortlessly lifted the AK and put the barrel to Gaara's head.

Jake: I look forward to the possibility of going against you in the finals, but I must warn you. No matter how much sand you bury my AK in, it will always fire no matter what.

Jake raised the barrel higher and fired a round through Gaara's red hair. The 5.45mm round embedded itself in the wall behind them. Meanwhile, the round had parted Gaara's hair right down the middle. This time, Gaara was visibly shaken. Jake shrugged it off cheerfully, and turned to walk away.

Jake: In the meantime, enjoy your stay!

Kankuro and Temari walked up to Gaara, being careful around their brother when his emotions were particularly strong. However, Gaara was in the fetal position at this point, and was hugging his knees.

Kankuro: Hey Gaara, you ok, bro?

Gaara: I've never felt more alive, or glad to be alive after that. And yet, I'm scared shitless. He's going to be one hell of a guy to beat.

Kankuro and Temari looked at each other. They couldn't tell if their cold-blooded brother was feeling psychotic or feeling helpless. Finally, Anko called everyone's attention.

Anko: All right, maggots! Get the fuck in line!

Jake: Oh, for chrissakes, could we please have a real announcer instead of a wannabe Boot Camp D.I.?

Anko began to get angry when suddenly she was forced to catch Jake's army-issue dog tags. she handed the announcements over to Hayate while she stuck them into a reader Kakashi supplied. She was surprised to find that Jake was of a higher rank than her, Sergeant first class. Meanwhile, Hayate was explaining what would happen next.

Hayate: All right, now that we have cut the roster down to the 10 finalists, there will be a one-month preperation period for the remaining participants. The final matches will be held in Konoha stadium on August 1.

Hayate paused to cough profusely and then opened a scroll.

Hayate: Now, if everyone will turn their attention to this scroll, the brackets outline who will be fighting who.

The scroll read the following:

**Match 1: Shinkatoma Tenten vs. Sakurai Meiru**

**Match 2:Hikari Netto vs. Subaku no Kankuro**

**Match 3: Nara Shikamaru vs. Hyuuga Hinata**

**Match 4: Uzumaki Naruto vs. Uchiha Sasuke**

**Match 5: Subaku No Gaara vs. Jacob Harrelson**

Everyone took note of the matches. Match number four was definitely going to be exciting. Sarutobi spoke for closing remarks.

Sarutobi: Now that you've all passed three strenuous tests of will, wit, and strength, you will all have one month to prepare for the finals. Some of you may have revealed something you didn't want to, and you will more likely than not have to make something new. Use this one-month period to hone your skills to their finest. Good luck.

And with that, everyone was dismissed. The three netbattlers on Team 7 now had all of July to prepare for the finals, and they would do their damnedest to make the best of it.

Meanwhile, Jake and Sasuke taunted Orochimaru, whom Jake had silently pointed out to Sasuke. Jake flipped off the Snake Sannin while Sasuke childishly stuck his tongue out at him. Orochimaru realized they could see right through his cover, and he was infuriated. His curse seal plan had gone down the drain, and he was unnerved about the attack on Konoha he was planning. He barely survived Jake's shotgun blast, which had forced him to bandage his abdomen. What would happen if that immortal boy distributed guns to the ANBU? He knew he was truly in deep shit now.

To be continued...

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I hope you all liked this chapter! please review, and read the preview below for the next chapter, New tricks up the sleeve.

Preview for Chapter 20: New Tricks up the sleeve

Now that the finalists have a month to prepare for the finals, Kakashi takes Meiru and Sasuke to teach them the powerful Chidori technique, while Jake and Jiraya reunite to teach Naruto and Netto the all-powerful Rasengan, and perhaps a few other cool tricks. Watch what happens next time!


	22. New Tricks up the Sleeve part 1

Chapter 20: New tricks up the sleeve part 1

Attention: This chapter is now in novel format. Thus:

'...' is thinking or a name

Be sure to look out for any Full Metal Panic references in the future!

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A week after the preliminaries ended, The sounds of silenced automatic gunfire and metal hitting metal could be heard from training ground 10. It was here that Jake was working on his latest technique. It was originally the fictional gun-based martial art 'Gun-Kata', which derived its effectiveness from anticipating incoming fire from statistically predictable angles. However, Jake felt this way to be ineffective, as he stuck to the adage, "Past results do not necessarily predict future performance." Thus, Jake proceeded to shape Gun-Kata into a real, unique, and effective absolute defense, in that he was to be the only, if not a part of a select few, to use it and win a battle with it. For this purpose, he created special hi-capacity drum magazines for the Micro-UZIs he had recently purchased. Taking at least a few days to make sure they were reliable, he created four of them. Two were sized for .22 rimfire, and two for 9mm parabellum. Jake even purchased .22 rimfire conversion kits for the Micro-UZIs. The drum magazines could hold 110 rounds of .22 rimfire each, and 100 rounds of 9mm parabellum each. Jake's basis for the two different calibers was that with .22 rimfire, he could make up for the lack of stopping power with ammunition capacity, allowing him to use his absolute defense longer, and with 9mm parabellum, he could use his Gun Kata absolute defense more offfensively, at the cost of ammunition capacity.

Currently, Jake had reset the steel tragets in the area as he prepped his Micro-UZIs to fire 9mm parabellum. As soon as he cocked his Micro-UZIs, he took a deep breath and then jumped into the air, twirling his UZIs. Though the western-style twirling seemed unnecessary to most people, Jake actually used that to make his technique even more effective. Thanks to a week-long weighted-taijutsu training session with Gai, he used his excellent punch control to manipulate the direction of the Spinning UZIs. Also, he had installed small trigger locks to keep the UZI firing as he spun it. While most would see it as a waste of ammunition, Jake made sure that not a single bullet was wasted. While in midair, he did on-axis and off-axis flips and spins to cover every possible and impossible direction that enemy fire could come from. Because of the trigger locks, Jake anticipated a lot of recoil from the guns and held them away from him as they spun on their own, allowing him to hit targets ahead, behind, and to his sides. When he landed on the ground, his UZIs exhausted of ammunition, he noticed one last metal sillouhette target standing. He quickly whipped out his sidearm and shot it down. Then, as soon as he holstered it, he flipped out, shouting angry profanities.

"FUCK!" Jake shouted. "I LEFT ONE TARGET STANDING! SONOFABITCH! IF THEY WERE ALL REAL, I WOULD NOT BE FUCKING ALIVE RIGHT NOW, BECAUSE I LEFT ONE GODDAMN PERSON WITH A GUN STANDING! **SHIT!**"

Then, Jake flung away one of his UZIs in a fit of rage, when he suddenly a cry of pain. "OW!" He rushed over to where the sound came from, and was horrified when he realized who he hit... "G-Gomen nasai, Ino-chan! Please don't hurt me!"

"**JAAAKE!**" shouted Ino, drawing out the yell. "I WAS HOPING YOU WOULD HAVE MORE SENSE THAN TO CHUCK AN EMPTY GUN AT SOMEONE, BUT IT SEEMS I WILL NOW HAVE TO PUNISH YOU!"

For the next five minutes, Jake was down on the ground with Ino's boot planted on his chest as she smacked his head back and forth like a ping-pong ball with a giant paper fan while she ranted about how stupid men could be. Soon, she forgave Jake when he promised to make it up to her, and the two parted ways. Jake figured he'd head up to the hot springs to relax from his hard training, thinking he'd earned it. When he arrived at the hot springs, however, he heard the constant cry of "Ow! Hot, Hot, Hot!" When Jake went to investigate, he saw Ebisu, Konohamaru's tutor, standing on the water's surface while Netto and Naruto tried to complete the water walking exercise with limited success. The two were constantly falling into the hot water after a few shaky steps. Jake greeted the trio as he entered the grounds of the bathhouse.

"Ohayo, Ebisu-san, Netto-kun, Naruto-kun!" shouted Jake. The three turned to see him crossing the bridge.

"Harrelson-san, I mean, Jake! Where were you?" asked Ebisu. Kakashi had said that Jake was to be training with Netto and Naruto, but more in a teaching role rather than a student role. Before Ebisu could enquire further, Kakashi had already disappeared to train Meiru and Sasuke. "Anyway, now that you're here," continued Ebisu. "why don't you see if you can help these two master water walking."

Before Jake could answer, the four were interrupted by perverted giggling coming from behind them. They turned to see a white-haired man peeking through the fence of the women's bath and giggling almost non-stop. Ebisu was furious. How dare a peeping tom interrupt his lesson!

"Hey! You with the white hair! Get away from that fence!" Ebisu roared.

"**WHO DARES INTERRUPT MY REASEARCH?**" said the white haired man, turning around. It turned out that he was crouched down atop a large toad. When he turned around and saw Ebisu, the toad shot its tongue out and it smacked Ebisu, sending him flying a good distance, and he was knocked out. Turning to Naruto, Netto, and Jake, the white-haired man tried to shoo them away.

"What are you looking at, you brats?" he said. "Get outta here."

Naruto grew furious, but Jake was the first to speak to the man. "Damn, Jiraiya-sensei, I'm hurt. It's been so long since we last met, and this is your way of saying hello? What a shame."

"You know this guy?" Naruto asked, incredulous.

"Funny, I don't quite remember you." said the man.

"Perhaps this will refresh your memory." replied Jake. He tossed a brown paper bag to the man, and the man looked at him quizically. He opened the bag and saw an issue of 'High Society' magazine with a centerfold pinup of American Adult Film Star Jenna Jameson. The white-haired man cracked a grin and looked at Jake.

"Oh, It's you Jake!" said the white-haired man, recognizing Jake. "How long has it been, old friend?"

"Too long, Jiraiya-sensei." replied Jake. "Well, let's introduce ourselves to my teammates."

"You mean..."

"Exactly."

And so, Jiraya did his usual introduction performance. You know, that odd dance he does.

"I am known to many as Jiraiya, Mt. Myoboku-gama's holy master sannin, also known as the toad sannin! Remember it!"

However, Jake had asked to learn the dance, too. He used it as a way to introduce himself whenever he hung around with Jiraiya.

"And I am Jacob Harrelson, the less-perverted and 'tadpole' apprentice of Jiraiya the toad sannin! Remember that, too!"

When Jake and Jiraiya were finished, Netto and Naruto stared at them with looks of bewilderment. Then, the teacher and apprentice began to bicker slightly.

"I'm sorry, Jake. The whole 'tadpole' moniker just doesn't fit. You could've just called yourself the frog apprentice."

"Demo, Jiraiya-sensei, I'm of a much lower stature than you! I should be considered a 'tadpole'."

Naruto decided to interrupt them. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?" At this, Jake and Jiraiya both stared at Naruto.

"Terribly sorry, Naruto." said Jake. "We were just discussing my skill level. Jiraiya-sensei has taught me a few jutsus before, some of which he has taught to your dad before he died."

Naruto quickly became somewhat withdrawn. None of the other three knew that talking about family was a sensitive subject with him. Finally, Naruto asked a question.

"Jiraiya-san, who was my father?"

"Kid, it's none other than the Yondaime."

Naruto looked up. He took a quick glance at the Hokage monument and saw the Yondaime's face. He then turned to Jiraya, stunned.

"Jiraiya-san, am I really related to Yondaime? Am I truly his son?"

"Naruto, I swear to Kami-sama that I'm not yanking your chain. I can say you're definitely his son because I trained him. You have the same hair and eye color, and I can tell you've got the same amount of determination as he does. Train with me instead of that guy who interrupted my research, and with time, you'll be just like your dad in strength."

"Really? Then what are we waiting for? Let's start!"

Jiraiya smiled. Just like the Yondaime when he was younger, Naruto was insanely enthusiastic.

"Naruto, Netto, welcome aboard. Let's start with that water walking exercise. Follow me."

The four went to a nearby stream out in the Konoha forest. Normally a place where Jiraiya does his 'research', Jiraiya stopped their group at the stream and instructed Jake to take care of the lesson. Then, Jiraiya went to a nearby bush to spy on a group of sexy girls splashing each other at a nearby waterfall. Naruto was sort of annoyed and disgusted when Jiraiya began his perverted giggling.

"This is his idea of training?" Naruto asked bitterly. "Leaving you to teach us while he goes off to do perverted things?"

Jake immediately defended Jiraiya. "Well, I have learned from experience that it's best not to interrupt his, erm, research."

**Flashback**

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Jiraiya was watching from a rooftop with a telescope as a group of bikini-clad girls played Volleyball on the sands of Akihara beach. Suddenly, Jake startled him.

"Jiraiya-sensei, I'm ready for training!" Jake exclaimed. Jiraiya jumped slightly from being snuck up on, and nearly dropped his telescope. Turning to Jake, he glared and rolled up a sleeve.

"Kid, don't _ever_ interrupt my research! Now piss off!" the Toad Sannin roared. With that, his fist met Jake's face, and Jake was sent flying a good 15 feet before suffering a hard landing in a tree.

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**End Flashback**

"Anyway," began Jake. "Let's continue the lesson on water walking. While Netto has it mostly down pat, with a little more training needed, you, Naruto, seem to have Chakra fluctuation, which is causing an imbalance in your body. Tell me, is there more than one kind of Chakra in your body? Can you sense any different-colored Chakra?"

Naruto thought for a moment, then replied. "Well, occasionally I do sense some red Chakra in my body whenever I'm in a bad situation. Case in point, our fight on the bridge back in wave country."

"As I thought." replied Jake. "There's another source of Chakra within you, probably from you-know-who."

"Right." Naruto replied curtly. It's as if only he and a few other people, including Jake, that knew about the Kyuubi sealed inside him, and they dared not to speak about it in public. Kakashi probably knew, but other than him, Jake, and Naruto, no one else on the team knew of the Kyuubi.

"Well, if you want to solve that problem, you'll have to raise your shirt and jacket so that I can perform a technique that Jiraiya taught me."

"I dunno, this sounds kinda fishy to me." said Naruto warily.

"Perhaps keeping your mind off it will help." said Jake. "I just need you to raise your jacket and shirt so that I can get to work. It'll be quick and you won't feel a thing."

"What the hell am I supposed to think about?" asked Naruto, annoyed. Jake smirked, then replied.

"Anything! Heck, imagine Hinata-chan in nothing but a wet t-shirt and short shorts."

"Whoa..." said Naruto, trailing off. As his face turned red and bled from the nose, Jake quickly put his palm onto the seal on Naruto's stomach. His five fingertips touching five points on the seal, he yelled "KAIHOU (release)!" and the five points vanished, allowing the Kyuubi's Chakra to flow evenly with the regular Chakra.

"There, I'm done." said Jake, snapping Naruto out of his daze. Naruto immediately checked himself and furiously wiped away the blood trickling from his nose. With a hint of crimson still on his face, he pointed at Jake and yelled at him.

"AND YOU CALL YOURSELF LESS PERVERTED! DON'T START GETTING ANY IDEAS ABOUT TOUCHING HINATA-CHAN, OR I'LL RIP YOUR GODDAMN THROAT OUT!"

Jake immediately defended himself. "Whoa! Easy, Naruto! I just said that to get your mind off the procedure. Notice any difference?"

Naruto grinned. He could feel an abundance of Chakra coursing through him.

"Yeah! It feels like I now have more Chakra to spare!"

"Good. Now try the exercise again, and make sure you keep the Chakra flowing smoothly."

"Got it!" Naruto replied. he broke into a run towards the water, already making the Chakra in his body flow to his feet. He could feel the Chakra flowing at a steady rate, unlike before, when his Chakra came in ragged bursts due to the Kyuubi's Chakra being sealed. Naruto grinned a large fox grin when he dashed onto the water and discovered that he was not falling in. Netto was standing on the water, and nearly fell in when he saw Naruto get it on the first try after the seal was modified. Grinning, he broke into a run and caught up with Naruto. Jake joined them on the water, where he dropped a small buoy with an anchor.

"All right," Jake began. "now that we all have this exercise down pat, let's have a little fun with it. The path of this stream is perfect for what I'm going to suggest, and that would be a foot race. Using the water walking technique, the goal is to run from this buoy to the top of the waterfall, where each of us has to tie a rope to a rock, and then turn around, run down the waterfall headfirst using the rope to keep you safe, and run back to the buoy."

The three did the race, with Naruto winning in the end due to sheer speed. After bidding Netto and Naruto goodbye, Jake turned to see Jiraiya walking towards him.

"I see you taught them well." said Jiraiya. "Looks like Naruto was a fast learner. Maybe I should teach him how to summon."

"No need for that, Jiraiya-sensei." replied Jake. "If I could teach him how to summon a vehicle, he can summon an animal. Instead, we should teach them the Rasengan. I'm sure he can handle it."

"Going for the big guns already, eh? All right, we can do that. Make sure to buy some water balloons."

"Got it."

Suddenly, Jake began coughing up blood, and a dangerous amount of it. Jake collapsed to the ground, trying to regain his energy. His face was paling, and Jiraiya was worried.

"Jesus christ, Jake! Are you all right? I think I should call a medic-nin."

"NO! It's nothing that a B-rank mission can't fix."

"Oh. I see."

Jiraiya was also one of the few outside Jake's team that knew about the Foxhound of hell residing within him. Jake explained it to him once back in Akihara, right after Jake had another occurence like this.

Soon, the two parted ways, and Jake went right to the Hokage tower to request a solo misson. After a small argument that required serious convincing on Jake's part, he found himself in wave country, back in the hometown of Inari, Tazuna and Tsunami. Apparently, some bandits who were more aggressive than the usual rabble have been harassing the town, some even going so far as raping women. Jake smiled, knowing that he could definitely devour them and send their souls to hell. Wave Country needed help, as they were barely holding the bandits off. Inari has had to use his crossbow often, to protect his mother from those bandits. Now, Jake was currently surrounded by all of the town's bandits, and he could not ask for a more perfect situation. He loaded his UZIs with 9mm Parabellum as the bandits taunted him.

"Ready to die, Shinobi brat?" asked one.

"You can't possibly take on us all!" said another.

"Enough talk." Jake said. "Now come at me with killer intent, or I can't possibly take you clowns as seriously as I would rapists and serial killers, which you proudly claim to be."

At this, All the bandits charged at him, and Jake simply smiled, tossing the boonie hat he now wore into the air. He jumped into the air, and began spinning and firing. His bullets did not go to waste, as by the time he landed on the ground, they were all paralyzed or nearly dead, waiting for death to actually claim them. Jake holstered his UZIs and summoned his two hounds of hell. Since there were no civilian witnesses, he was free to do this, and the dogs made sure to clean up any blood they had spilt. They re-entered his body, and Jake felt much better, now that he had less chance of coughing up blood. He came out of the woods, and the townspeople cheered. The bandits were now dead, and they were free to live their lives in peace once more. Feeling like going out with theatrics, Jake summoned his horse, a Mustang aptly named Uma-kun. The two greeted each other, and Jake fed him a sugar cube. Mounting Uma-kun, he turned to the villagers.

"You can live in peace once again, everyone! If you ever need help with vile criminals, Contact Konoha!"

The people cheered, and Jake turned to Uma-kun, who like Kakashi's dog Pakkun, could speak to him.

"Uma-kun, let's leave in a spectacular way!"

"You got it, Jake!"

And so, Uma-kun stood on his hind legs, and Jake pulled his boonie hat off his head and waved it like a cowboy would. The villagers, including Tazuna's family cheered and bid the horse and rider farewell as they galloped off to Konoha.

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"Well done, Jake! I'm impressed that you completed your first B-rank mission so quickly!" said Sandaime.

"It was nothing, Hokage-sama." replied Jake. "They were a bunch of hacks who were permanently knocked off their high horse by me."

"Well, I'm impressed, nonetheless. You'll get your pay for this mission at the end of the week."

Thus, Jake went back to Team 7's cabin, where everyone congratulated him for completeing a B-rank mission while Sasuke and Naruto became jealous of Jake's accomplishment. However, when Jake went to sleep, he had a rather unpleasant dream. He was having a flashback to his days as a child soldier.

**Flashback**

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Jake and his squad were clearing houses in Sudan, where the U.S. had launched a military campaign to end the human rights violations taking place. One of his subordinates and best friends, a 13-year-old from the Bronx in New York named Vincent Mahoney had split off to pick up a dropped AK-47 as a souvenir to show his dad, a Vietnam Veteran, when he got back to the U.S. Jake was trying to call him back.

"Mahoney! Get back here! What the Hell are you doing?" Jake yelled.

"It'll be quick, boss! I just wanna grab an AK to give to my dad when I get back to the states!"

As Mahoney gripped the AK, a shot rang out from across the street, and Mahoney collapsed. Immediately, Jake's squad rushed to Mahoney and took out the sniper that shot him. They were soon under fire from more enemy forces. Jake held his best friend in his arms as blood flowed out of his fatal wound. Not even the squad medic could save him now.

"Vince! Hang on! We'll get you out of here and you're gonna make it! Just hang on!" Jake said, distraught.

"Jake," said Vincent. "I have a feeling I won't. I got the AK, though, so make sure it gets to my old man. And tell my parents that I'm sorry for being such a brat."

"Vince, don't say that! You're gonna live, dammit!"

Vincent didn't respond. With a smile on his face, he slipped away, never to awaken again.

"Mahoney, wake up! Mahoney? Mahoney!"

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**End Flashback**

Jake woke up to Sakura shaking him awake, and Naruto was standing over him as well. The two were somewhat curious as to what was causing Jake his troubles. Soon, Jake, Naruto, and Sakura were at the dining table listening to Jake's war stories, having read his military record off of his dog tag. Needless to say, the two were shocked. How could the world's remaining superpower send kids their age into battle, knowing full well that they may never return? Jake explained that the child soldier program was created for the purpose of combating the psychological effect that Third World child soldiers had on regular soldiers. Basically, most regular soldiers didn't have the guts to shoot a kid, and that's where the enemy had an advantage. The child soldiers took advantage of that and killed the regular soldier, and since situations like this were common at the time, mass amounts of casualties were created, and it wasn't long before the idea spread to Iraq, where Suicide bombers eventually were mostly kids.

"Basically, that's my story." said Jake, ending the discussion.

"So you mean to tell us they have no mission rankings?" asked Naruto.

"That's right." replied Jake. "You could be a private and still be asked to blow up a bunker. Of course, that's mainly special forces stuff, and those guys are usually at least Lieutenant."

Sakura then shifted the focus of the subject. "So Jake, since you were technically in a clandestine operations unit at one point, what have you done in your military career?"

Jake grinned. There were so many memories that he had worth putting into an action movie.

"Well, I've done too many things to count, but I can tell you my top five favorite moments."

Sakura and Naruto listened intently. Good stories were bound to come of this.

"Number five is when I went on a HALO jump into Iranian Airspace to help overthrow the government and end a war."

**Flashback**

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A USAF AC-130 Spectre gunship was flying high above Iran at 26,000 feet, successfully avoiding their air defenses. In the cargo bay was a 6-man squad of 13-year-old boys and girls. Each carried enough firepower combined to equal 100 regular troops. Needless to say, they were gonna raise some serious hell. The Cargo bay doors opened, and the six teens stood up. Making sure their equipment was secure, Jake led the squad into the Iranian night sky. As they jumped out of the gunship, they somersaulted in the air before stabilizing for free-fall, knowing full well that if they didn't move quickly, they would be spotted and the mission to link up with a local revolutionary group would have gone to waste. They sped towards the ground and slowed down at 800 feet and pulled their ripcords at 700. When they landed, they quickly concealed their tactical gear under local dress, including Shemaghs and Burqas. They saw that a van was provided for them, and they drove to a safehouse on the outskirts of Tehran. Hours later, International news was made when the local revolutionary group forced the entire Iranian Islamic Republic government to surrender unconditionally to coalition forces on the border of Iran and Iraq. The military forces in Iran were told to stand down, and mere weeks later, despite some civil unrest, a pro-western government was installed, ridding Iran of its Pariah state status, allowing the country to fall in step with the rest of the world. And it was all thanks to a 6-man squad of boys and girls from the NATO Child soldier program.

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**End Flashback**

"Wow..." Said Naruto and Sakura in unison. They were awed that one of their teammates had military experience under his belt. Naruto soon thought Jake to be more unpredictable than him. Jake proceeded to tell the other stories of his exploits, which included the extraction of U.S. Nationals from a U.S. Embassy building under siege by the North Korean Military, the destruction of a Syrian Airbase being operated by Hizbollah, and the sabotage of a bridge on the Lebanon/Syria border to prevent a rogue tank battalion of the Syrian Army from Occupying Lebanon by plunging the battalion's land vehicles into a canyon when they attempted to cross the bridge. The last one was done by weakening the structural integrity of the bridge by loosening the struts and applying Hydrochloric acid to the concrete. Finally, Jake proceeded to tell the tale of his greatest exploit ever, which was blowing out the brains of a notorious terrorist leader with the use of a .50 caliber sniper rifle.

**Again, Flashback**

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It was a hot summer day on the streets of Downtown Islamabad, Pakistan. It was normal for a summer day, but on the main street was something unique. A convoy of black Mercedes-Benz S500 sedans with tinted windows was cruising down the road. However, as Jake's team discovered, the convoy belonged to Terrorist leader Ali Ben Muhammad, who had been constantly crossing the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan to avoid capture by U.S. forces, which was a common practice for terrorist forces. Now, Months of planning boiled down to this day and hour. The plan went as follows: Jake's team was split up and waited on opposite sides of the street. Jake himself would wait with a Barrett .50 caliber Anti-Material rifle in a third floor window of a building overlooking the main street. The plan was that once the convoy entered their section of the street, two professionally-driven semi trucks would block off the exit routes. Then, Jake's team would come out with flashbangs and frags and proceed to mow down the occupants of the convoy. As soon as they confirmed having killed Muhammad, the team would have to flee across the border into Afghanistan, where they would rendezvous with Delta Force troops and be whisked away to the U.S. Embassy in Kabul. However, not everything went as planned, but that somehow made things better, which was rare. For one, the Barrett .50 did not arrive, and was replaced by a VSS Vychlop silenced .50 caliber sniper rifle provided by the Russian Federal Security Bureau, who was working closely with the U.S. Next, The semi trucks were supposed to simply block off the exit routes. Instead, thanks to new technology, the trucks would stop and crush the lead car by using hydraulics mounted on the trailer to push the cargo container off and onto the ground. So, when the plan was finally executed, and the perpertrators having fled the country, the Pakistani police were conveniently late in responding to the call that came over the radio to investigate a shootout that took place on the main strip in Downtown Islamabad. During the shootout, Jake saw Muhammad attempt to escape by running up the street. Jake lined up the back of Muhammad's head with his scope and squeezed the trigger. Muhammad's head burst into a fine pink mist, and that's when Jake grinned and disassembled the rifle. Soon, he was relaxing with a Sprite-and-Coke mixed soda in the lounge of the U.S. Embassy in Kabul.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

**End Flashback**

"Sugoi..." chorused Naruto and Sakura. Jake had told them an amazing story, and they were hoping to see anything more that he had under his sleeve.

"If you liked that, then there's something I should tell you, but this has to stay within the team and never revealed to Sasuke unless I give the okay to do so." said Jake, his voice becoming serious. He released a small amount of killer intent, which was powerful enough to make Naruto and Sakura tremble under his gaze.

"Do you swear on your life that this will never be revealed to Sasuke or anyone outside the team?"

"We swear."

"Good." replied Jake. Seeing Sakura and Naruto listen intently after promising to keep their mouths shut. Thus, he went on to say what he'd learned.

"All right, here's the thing. I also used to work with intelligence agencies, and during my time working with the United States Central Intelligence Agency, I gained access to a file on Uchiha Itachi. What I'm about to say may shock you."

Sakura and Naruto leaned in further to listen, and Jake dropped the bomb.

**"Uchiha Itachi is a double agent."**

At this, the two pulled back and simply sat there in disbelief. What Jake had told them had blown away everything they knew.

"This is a joke... right?" said Sakura, her eyes still looking at the ground.

"Not it's not." replied Jake, bringing out his PET. He pulled up the file from the CIA Level 1 Classified servers and projected it so that Sakura and Naruto could see for themselves.

"Many agents and inactive agents of the CIA have access to the Level 1 files, as they don't need to be closely guarded. Obviously, there are fewer people who have access to the higher-level files." Jake stated.

Meanwhile, Naruto and Sakura read the file. The Uchiha Clan massacre was listed on the file as his initiation test to infiltrate the Akatsuki. Jake, with a heavy heart, explained that an Akatsuki member was watching, so Itachi sadly could not fake the massacre and put the rest of the clan in a witness protection program.

"You know, I actually once met Itachi before coming to Konoha." Jake said. At this, Sakura and Naruto lifted their heads. Naruto assaulted Jake with a small barrage of questions.

"Where'd you meet him? How did you meet him? Is he a cold-blooded killer? Did you have a Mexican standoff?" Asked Naruto in one breath.

"A diner in Downtown Akihara, I asked to see him, no, and no." replied Jake, answering the questions in order. "I really got to know the true Uchiha Itachi, and boy, is he a torn man. At one point, I had to help him out, because he just broke down right in front of me. I could just see his anguish at living life as a double agent. He had to kill his family, then to make it convincing, he tormented his little brother."

"How do you know he wasn't lying?" asked Naruto warily.

"He doesn't know about my foxhound senses, and I heard his heartbeat. You can usually tell if one is lying by their heartbeat, and, well, he really wasn't." replied Jake. "He truly was a broken man, and wishes to reconcile with his brother."

The three sat in silence as the sun rose, and Jake finally spoke.

"Now that you both know about this, make sure no one outside of the team or Sasuke hears about this. Naruto, we'll have to get going soon, so wake Netto up and we'll eat breakfast then go see Jiraiya-sensei to train."

To be continued...

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Voila! An extra-long chapter especially for you guys! Read and review, And New Tricks Up the Sleeve part 2 will come soon!


	23. New Tricks up the Sleeve part 2

Of Kunais and PETs Chapter 21: New Tricks up the Sleeve part 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Rockman.EXE, and all trademarks mentioned are properties of their respective companies.

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Back at the waterfall, where Netto, Jake, and Naruto were training with Jiraiya, Netto and Naruto were practicing the basics of the Rasengan after Jake and Jiraiya demonstrated its power. Jake himself was practicing the second and final level of the Rasengan, the Osama Rasengan. Jake was not having much luck with the latter. He was already exhausted from slight Chakra depletion, and was thoroughly pissed. No matter how he tried, he just couldn't form a Rasengan in each hand without suddenly losing chakra in either hand. He was just about to haul out his pistol and empty it on some poor unfortunate object or creature when he remembered something. He smacked his forehead, punishing himself for not having thought of it in the first place. Flashing through hand seals, he shouted the name of one of his favorite jutsu.

"**_Kangen Tame Chakra No Jutsu!_**" he yelled. Suddenly, the I pod resting on his shoulder glowed with Chakra, and Jake now had a serious Chakra boost for as long as the song lasted. With Motorhead's 'Ace Of Spades' flowing through his earphones, he charged up a Rasengan in each hand once again, having turned up the volume on his I pod. He quickly formed a Rasengan in each hand, and as he fed more Chakra into each of them, they grew in size simultaneously at the same rate. The last thing Naruto and Netto saw while practicing their Rasengans was Jake charging into a thicket of trees before seeing a bright flash and hearing a loud BOOM. Suddenly, they saw a few trees fall followed by a small rockslide from the cliffs that the waterfalll was situated on. Jake's teammates stopped practicing, the sexy girls at the waterfall looked around to see what happened, and even Jiraiya stopped peeping. Worried, Netto and Naruto rushed over to where Jake was last seen, and saw a huge pile of downed trees. Fearing the worst, they started moving the trees out of the way until one was violently kicked loose. Jake crawled out of the opening, laughing.

"Whoo! That was awesome!" exclaimed Jake. He then realized his teammates were looking at him as if he was crazy.

"You seriously think getting buried under rocks and downed trees is 'awesome'!" asked Netto, his eyelid twitching. Jake sweatdropped. He realized his antics may have gotten a weeeee bit out of hand.

"Sorry." replied Jake. "That would have killed me in actuality, but you know the reason why it didn't."

Understanding silence followed. Soon, all four of them were back to what they were doing.

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Elsewhere, Meiru and Sasuke were training with the Chidori. Meiru had made serious progress on her first try, having formed a Chidori only slightly less powerful than the one Kakashi had demonstrated. However, she ran into a figurative wall when her second attempt at a Chidori fizzled out, and she collapsed to the ground, spent.

4

'Damn...' thought Meiru. 'I'm out of Chakra already. I seriously wish I had an immediate second source... Wait! That's it!'

Getting up slowly, Meiru bit her thumb and swiped the blood across her palm remembering the lesson Netto and Jake had done, she quickly flashed through hand seals and when her hands glowed, she placed her PET in the palm of her bloodied hand and slammed it on the ground, shouting "_KUCHIYOSE NO JUTSU!_"

Nearby, Kakashi took his eyes off Sasuke and saw a holographic dome suddenly form over their heads. Having heard about Orochimaru's attack on Sasuke, he pulled out a Kunai, fearing the worst.

"The hell is this?" said Kakashi. "Some kind of Barrier Jutsu?"

"It's only a dimensional area." replied Sasuke, reassuring his Sensei. "Meiru's probably gonna crossfuse. Watch. It'll be enlightening." Then, just as Kakashi was about to pull up his forehead proteactor to copy the technique, Sasuke stopped him.

"It's not something the Sharingan can copy without the proper equipment, sensei." said Sasuke. " First, it only works if you're in perfect sync with your Netnavi, one of which I don't believe you even have, and second, crossfusion is not a Chakra-based technique. Summoning the Dimensional Area is, though."

Kakashi sweatdropped. 'Looks like I'll have to keep up with technology better, then.' he thought. He paid close attention to what Meiru did. Now that the Dimensional Area was in place, Meiru went into crossfusion after slotting-in her Synchro Chip. She fused with Roll, and immediately felt the benefits.

"Just as I thought!" said Meiru. "Crossfusion gives me a second, more powerful source of Chakra!" At this discovery, she immediately went into the necessary stance and activated a Chidori, this time more powerful than that of Kakashi. A massive chirping noise could be heard in the valley they were practicing in, and Meiru took off and sprinted towards a rock formation, into which she slammed her Chidori. The result was a deafening explosion followed by a small shower of debris. Sasuke and Kakashi were thoroughly impressed. Panting a bit, Meiru took a small breather before coming up with another idea. Turning to Kakashi, she asked him a question.

"Kakashi-sensei," she asked. "Have you ever tried turning the Chidori into a ranged attack? You know, like throwing it?"

Kakashi rubbed his chin in thought. "No, can't say that I remember." he honestly replied.

"Then there's something I want to try." said Meiru. "Watch this."

Kakashi watched in amazement as his only other female student morphed one of her hands into a crossbow. Focusing her Chakra as much as possible, she built up as much energy in the arrow as she could before letting out the name of her attack.

"**_Chidori Roll Arrow!_**" yelled Meiru. and with that, she fired her arrow and the two Sharingan users watched with amazement as the Chidori-tipped arrow sailed across a chasm and into a large rock formation before the arrow detonated, causing another massive explosion and imploding the rock formation. Breathing hard from the attack, Meiru managed a weak smile and a whisper of accomplishment before passing out.

"I did it..." Whispered Meiru as she collapsed to the ground. Her Chakra reserves nearly gone, the dimensional area as well as her Crossfusion with Roll faded out. Kakashi and Sasuke rushed over to her to make sure she was ok. The attack had taken a toll on her physically. She was half-unconscious and half-asleep at the same time (if that is possible), her chest rising and falling being the only sign that she was alive. Carefully, Kakashi picked her up and set her down to rest in a nearby shady area and put his jounin vest under her head as a pillow. Kakashi looked at her sleeping form and sighed.

'Poor Meiru.' thought Kakashi. 'She pushed herself so hard, and she's wreaking havoc on her body this way. She pulled off two, no, three Chidori's in one day and nearly kills herself doing so. What is it that's driving her to do this? Is she trying to prove something? Is she trying to be more than a healer? Maybe I can find out when we're all back at the cabin.'

Meanwhile, as Sasuke set himself up to do a second Chidori, he was thinking along the same lines for once.

'Meiru's a strong girl, I'll give her that.' thought the Uchiha. 'In time, I'm sure she'll be more than just a medic nin. I have a feeling she'll be one of the most powerful kunoichi in Konoha the way she's going. I respect her for that. At least she seems to be pushing herself far more than the others. Meiru's one of the people I wouldn't call pathetic, that's for sure.'

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Back at the waterfall, the three Rasengan users and their sensei were having lunch. It was here that Jake and Jiraiya discussed a very important matter.

"Jiraiya-sensei." said Jake.

"Yes?"

"You've heard about that one redheaded kid from the sand by now, right?"

"Yeah. Subaku no Gaara, right?"

"Yes. I sensed another being sealed inside him, Shukaku no Tanuki, if I'm not mistaken. My point is that the seal on his forehead is weak, and I need to learn how to reinforce it. Apparently, the folks living in the sand village aren't very thorough."

"So you could tell as well, huh? Look, we'll practice sealing and reinforcement after lunch."

And so, after eating, Jake struggled with the technique for a few hours before getting it down pat. Jiraiya made him practice on trees that had sap leaking out of them by painting a weak seal over the leak. Jake would reinforce it, stopping the flow of sap. Soon, Rasengan training was over for the day, and while it was still light out, Naruto, Netto and Jake summoned their cars and raced back to the team cabin. There, Jake decided to resharpen his shooting skills. Setting up a target course with pendulum targets and various steel plates, both marked and unmarked, he opened a pistol case and pulled out his racegun(shooting match handgun), which was an STI Eagle 6.0 chambered for .45 ACP. Having loaded the gun with a 9-round extended-capacity magazine, he pressed the slide release to chamber a round. hitting a switch, a buzzer sounded, and he began running through the course popping targets left and right as fast as he could. When all was said and done, he'd burned through 4 magazines and completed the course in 5 minutes. That was the fastest he'd ever done it.

"Looks like I'm not losing my touch. Maybe I should carry this with me. Or, I can make my own!" said Jake aloud. Dialing a number on his PET, a small box soon parachuted down to ear and landed in front of him. He smiled when he looked inside the box. Inside were countless pistol parts and accessories, including parkerized aluminum slides, compensators, scope rails, Aimpoint sights, reflex sights, and more. If he were to assemble them all, he could make a total of 40 custom handguns in various calibers with different combinations of accessories. Brining the box inside, he began putting together a pistol using a few tools he had. His idea was to make something that feels like a Racegun, but is meant to shoot and kill human opponents.

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Meanwhile, in the main bedroom, Kakashi sat down as Meiru woke up. Opening her eyes, the red-haired netbattler saw her sensei sitting down next to her. She sat up, wondering what was going on.

"Kakashi-sensei," she asked. "What happened?"

"You passed out after doing 3 Chidori's in one day, Meiru." replied Kakashi. "Onegai, Meiru. Please be honest with me. What was your reason for training with us? You didn't have to volunteer yourself."

"Well, you see, Kakashi-sensei," began Meiru. "I don't like playing the damsel in distress."

"What do you mean by that?" asked Kakashi, puzzled.

"What I mean is that I want to be Netto's equal in terms of power. Before I went here, Netto would have to save me during almost every Crossfusion battle because I wasn't doing well enough on my own. I'm really trying not to be dependant on him, but if I can't improve, it'll end up being that way!"

At this point, tears began to form in Meiru's eyes. Kakashi immediately calmed her down.

"Shh, shhhh. There, there. Everything's all right." said the Jounin to his student. "I understand completely."

Smiling up at her Jounin sensei, Meiru thanked and hugged Kakashi. Suddenly, the two were interrupted by a loud bang followed by a booming shout of "Now That's what I like to see! Ooh-rah!" When they went outside, they saw Jake holding a brand new handgun he had finished assembling not a few minutes ago. It gleamed with the shine only a custom-made handgun can produce. Jake had made good use of his accessories kit. On the gun was a Truglo open reflex sight, sight rail, A compensator, and a 9-round .454 Cassull extended capacity magazine. The loud bang proved the sheer force of the round the gun used, and the recoil would have been horrendous had it not been for the compensator installed at the front.

"Christ, Jake! Are you trying to wake the whole damn neighborhood?" asked Kakashi, eyeing the gun, jealous.

"Sorry, Kakashi-sensei." replied Jake. "I can easily swap out the compensator with a weighted silencer, if need be. By the way, don't think I'm oblivious to that jealous look in your eye. So I took the liberty of making two more, one for you and one for Naruto. Naruto, come out here!"

At this, Kakashi raised his eyebrow. How did Jake know? Well, either way, that was rather thoughtful of the young gun-freak genin. Naruto came out of the cabin, having heard his name called. He saw the table with two distinct-looking lumps on it covered by a cloth. Jake smiled and whipped it off, revealing two different pistols, both of which were custom Colt M1911-based models. Kakashi had a matte black, Stainless steel Springfield Armory M1911A1 chambered for .40 S&W with Tritum-painted night/day sights, a laser, and silencer, while Naruto got a Strayer-Voigt Infinity Handgun Chambered for 10mm Auto with a Reflex sight, rails, compensator, 9-round magazine, and specially made blaze orange checkered grips. Basically, Naruto had more of a Racegun while Kakashi had more of a special operations pistol. Jake handed the two recipients their respective pistols plus holsters loaded with two spare magazines. Naruto got into firing stance and held his new gun. It felt perfect in his hands, almost like an extension of his body. Kakashi, meanwhile, couldn't help but grin at his new gun. It looked so damn awesome just sitting in its holster, which he attached in a crossdraw position with velcro onto his Jounin vest. Jake, meanwhile, looked very pleased with himself. And then, a stroke of genius hit him. If he added gunsmithing to his list of abilities, between that and selling cars and custom high-powered go-karts, he would be rolling in a pile of success. Immediately, he ordered more pistol parts from his as-of-yet-unknown source. And though he would have to leave whatever business he had in Konoha to go back to Akihara, he would leave it in very capable hands. He could see it now: A joint venture with the Shinkatoma weapons shop to be the exclusive distributor of the Shikatoma Arms M1911A1 "Konoha Special" pistol, available in various calibers. It would be good for the local economy once people get wind of the amazing gun's accuracy. Jake hyperventilated and foamed at the mouth at the thought of making so much money, that he darn near passed out in front of his teammates. Remembering promises he'd made, He went over to a tarp-covered lump that looked distinctly like a certain car. He called for Sakura to lead Sasuke out. Sure enough, The last Uchiha himself was led out, blindfolded, by one of his biggest fangirls.

"Sakura-chan, what is the point of these ridiculous measures!" said Sasuke, flustered. The blindfold was annoying enough.

"You'll see..." said Sakura in a sly tone. As soon as they were next to Jake, Jake made Sasuke jump through a few more hoops.

"Sasuke, hold out your hand in an open palm." said Jake. "You're going to feel some cold metal, and when you do, you can whip that blindfold off your head to find out what it is."

"Dammit Jake, this better not be a waste of my time, or I'll shove a Chidori up your ass!"

"Here you go, Sasuke. You're welcome, by the way."

As Sasuke took off the blindfold, he could hear the rustling of cloth. Then, when he got the blindfold off, he saw in his hand a set of keys emblazoned with the GT-R badge. Looking up, he saw Jake gesturing to a brand new Midnight Black Nissan Skyline GT-R R34 Go-kart. It had the exact same treatments as Naruto's car, the only difference being what components were under the hood. Sasuke smirked and went right over to the car. Popping open the door, he hopped inside and turned on the engine. At once, 360 horses of raw power roared to life.

"You've outdone yourself, Jake." said Sasuke, smirking. He then turned to face Naruto. "Naruto, Get ready, 'cause one of these days, I'll surpass both you and Jake as King of Touge no Hokage!"

"You can try, Sasuke." said Jake, a hint of teasing in his voice. "But as long as I have my R32, that goal is gonna be more than a little out of reach."

Jake then turned to Naruto and gestured at the gun he now held. "I suggest you put in a couple hours of range time, Naruto. Break it in, get a feel for how it shoots"

"I don't think that'll be a problem." replied Naruto, grinning from ear to ear. He slammed a magazine, to which he paid no mind the blue tape wrapped around it, into the gun. He pulled back the slide to chamber a round, aimed at a small bullseye painted on a nearby tree with his reflex sight, and squeezed the trigger. A loud boom was suddenly heard when the round detonated, startling Naruto. Jake heard it and chuckled a bit.

"Careful what you load in your gun, Naruto. You don't want to overdo that sort of thing." said Jake, taking Naruto's gun and ejecting any rounds.

"What do you mean?" asked Naruto, confused.

"Take a look at these pistol magazines of yours." said Jake, gesturing to the three different types of magazines. "Note the different colors of tape wrapped around them. Orange tape means that the rounds are incendiary, and will burn their intended targets. Blue tape means that those rounds are hollowpoints with a depleted uranium explosive core. Those rounds tend to expand upon entry then detonate. Those are normally used against hard targets, like tanks and APC's, and will easily do nothing short of gutting the chest otf any human target, armored, or unarmored. Finally, Red tape means that the rounds inside the magazine are your basic Full Metal Jacket rounds. They move deeper into the target than the other two types, but do not expand as much as hollowpoints. Thus, these are the type of bullets used to pierce body armor, but these won't do damage to more than one internal organ. So if you want a one-shot kill with these, aim for the head or chest."

"Thanks for the lesson, Jake." said Naruto. "I'll need more Full Metal Jacket ammo than any of the others, though."

"That can be arranged." replied Jake. Suddenly, Sasuke stomped over to them, infuriated that Naruto was getting a powerful weapon.

"That's not fair!" shouted Sasuke. "Why does the dobe get a powerful handgun? I need it more than he does, dammit!"

"Chill the fuck out, Sasuke." retorted Jake. "Don't think I wasn't going to give you something to satisfy your trigger finger, too. Besides, what about that .357 you had?"

"There's not enough shots in that thing, and reloading is a hassle compared to an autoloader.

Sighing, Jake produced a gun case and opened it. Sasuke had an evil grin when he looked inside it, and Naruto gulped when he looked in. Jake explained the gun inside.

"It wasn't easy, but I finally created a Patriot Machine Pistol that accepted 100-round 9mm Beta-C drum magazines. This is yours Sasuke. It doesn't have much stopping power in comparison to Naruto's handgun, but if used wisely, the bullet count should make up for that quite nicely."

"Whoa! What do you mean it wasn't easy?" interrupted Kakashi. "You just completed these pistols in an hour! Or was it less?"

"Heh, You've caught me red-handed, Kakashi-sensei." said Jake, sweatdropping. "All it really required of me was to switch out the pre-made reciever and remove certain components." Turning to Sasuke, who was looking at him doubtfully now, he guartanteed his work.

"Now Sasuke, I know it sounds like a rush job, but I assure you that it works really well. You're even with Naruto now. Good luck in your one-on-one match, both of you."

To be continued...

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Hoorya! This chapter's finally done! Listen, folks, schools starting soon for me, and I'm not expecting to get much time to update. Please be patient, as I have other stories to finish as well. Next chapter: The Chunin Exam Finals!


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